One question that has come up frequently is what cities will lose some Dallas flights when Love Field opens up to nonstop flights through the United States.
So we took a look at Southwest Airlines’ schedule to see how it changes from today through early January as the airline rearranges its flights to take advantage of next Monday’s expiration of the Wright amendment.
An analysis of Southwest’s schedule indicates that by early November, Southwest will have cut 18 of the 118 departures it now offers from Love Field as it beefs up its schedule to cities beyond the current Wright amendment borders.
We knew that there would be changes. A certain portion of the passengers on flights leaving Dallas Love Field are only passing through cities like San Antonio or Tulsa on their way to Chicago or Los Angeles or some other city that Southwest cannot fly to nonstop from Dallas.
That changes Monday, Oct. 13, when airlines will be allowed to fly nonstop out of Dallas to any U.S. destination. After then, most of those passengers who now take the one-stop flights presumably will be on the nonstop flights.
Breaking it down further:
– When the Wright amendment largely goes away on Monday, Oct. 13, Southwest will offer 140 departures – the 118 it now offers and another 22 to seven cities beyond Texas and the eight other states it can now serve nonstop from Love Field.
– On Nov. 2, it will expand its Love Field schedule to add eight more cities outside the current Wright amendment borders. As of Monday, Nov. 3, it will offer 149 departures. Of those, 100 will be to cities inside the Wright amendment area and 49 will be to the 15 cities beyond the current borders.
– On Monday, Jan. 6, Southwest will add nonstop service to Oakland and San Francisco from Dallas. That will give it 153 departures from Love Field – 100 to the current cities served from Dallas and 53 to the new cities.
– Right now, Southwest offers 68 departures from Love Field to six other Texas cities. On Nov. 2, that will decline to 59 flights. The biggest loser in Texas: San Antonio, which goes from 13 flights to 10.
Here’s the complete list. We’ve highlighted the cities that are inside the Wright amendment area and can be served nonstop now. The non-highlighted cities will be added Oct. 13 or afterward.
| City | 10/6/2014 | 10/13/2014 | 11/3/2014 | 1/6/2015 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amarillo | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Austin | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | -2 |
| El Paso | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | -2 |
| Houston | 23 | 23 | 21 | 21 | -2 |
| Lubbock | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Midland | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| San Antonio | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | -3 |
| Albuquerque | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | -3 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Baltimore/Washington | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Birmingham | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Chicago Midway | 0 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Denver | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Kansas City | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | -2 |
| Las Vegas | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Little Rock | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | -1 |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Nashville | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| New Orleans | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| New York LaGuardia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Oklahoma City | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Orlando | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Phoenix | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| San Diego | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| San Francisco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Santa Ana/Orange County | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | -2 |
| Tampa Bay | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tulsa | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | -1 |
| Washington Reagan National | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Wichita | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 118 | 140 | 149 | 153 | 35 |
| Flights inside Wright area | 118 | 118 | 100 | 100 | -18 |
| Flights outside Wright area | 0 | 22 | 49 | 53 | 53 |