Tensions are rising over the use of one gate at Dallas Love Field. Southwest claims Delta is illegally “squatting” while Delta claims it must protect Dallas from Southwest.
Dallas Love (DAL) has 20 gates. Technically, 18 belong to Southwest and two belong to Alaska. But Delta’s still operating five flights per day to Atlanta…and wants to fly more. Meanwhile, Southwest wants Delta out.
The squabble began in 2015. In the Wright Amendment era (a perimeter rule on DAL flights fully repealed in 2014), Southwest was unable to use all of its gates since it could only fly to states bordering Texas. Even when the amendment was lifted, Southwest did not immediately fully utilize its gates. Southwest had leased one gate to United, which subleased it to Delta. But when the lease expired, Delta refused to vacate.
The Dallas City Council tried to offer a three-year compromise, but both sides rejected it. Now, as a court battle looms, Southwest has taken to “squatter” language to describe Delta’s position at the airport.
Speaking recently in Dallas, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly stated:
It’s like you having rented a house, and there’s a squatter in the house and you’ve got to get them out. It’s really no more complicated than that.
That’s Southwest’s position, but Delta sees it differently:
Only long term, meaningful competition provides the best options and fares for the citizens of Dallas. And to that end, we are pursuing our right to continue flying out of Love Field.
The City Council also suggested that Delta share the two gates that Alaska owns and are currently under-utilized. Alaska responded with an announcement it is increasing flights to Dallas Love.
CONCLUSION
The whole situation is rather comical. It is like two children who can’t share. My prediction is that Delta will continue its service to Atlanta. But let’s correct the term. Delta is no longer squatting, it is trespassing (since it was “caught”). But “trespassing Delta” (sounds like a presidential tweet) will have its day in court.
image: Southwest
I can’t imagine that Love field is that much of a difference maker for Delta. They already fly to DFW multiple times per day.
Dallas is a big market, but I can’t imagine the planes are full on the direct competition routes, especially with AA being based there too. This feels like Delta is just messing with SWA or maybe positioning itself for some other future concession (if they choose to back down here).
Delta would be better served by continuing to build up it’s service at DFW (I still question their dehubbing of it) rather than playing the role of lowlife trespasser at DAL. And clearly, that’s what they are here.
Long live Delta!!!! We want Love Field!!!!
Delta is a joke… Always late…
Interesting. I fly weekly and it seemed to me that Delta’s on-time stats are good. So, I went to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for the 2018 calendar year. Here are the data:
% of flights late: American-19.72, Southwest-19.26, Delta 13.7
Min Dep Delay: American-10.07, Southwest-11.1, Delta-7.4
Min Arr Delay: American-5.42, Southwest-4.5, Delta- minus .3
Its always good to use data when posting comments. Delta may be a “joke” whatever that is but it is NOT because they are always late.
Delta needs to stay at love! Since love fields inception, Delta was in the 40’s and 50’s a key factor in making Dallas the city it is today! As a Dallasite, it is in the city of Dallas’ best interest to keep Delta at love. Oh, Swa has no business calling Delta squatters as Swa doesn’t own Love Field.
What really needs to happen is for the artificial limit on gates at LUV to be lifted. Allow the market to dictate service. Which might mean a lot more flights. Which would put pressure on both SWA and AA in Dallas. Both of which would be good for consumers.
Absolutely!!!!
Southwest at Love Field is pretty much a monopoly, the gate divisions didn’t make sense to start with, but it’s not like anyone else wants to serve Love Field. Delta has every right to just keep that one gate and Alaska it’s two Gates unless another carrier proposes significant new service.
Wait…so DL’s whole argument consists of “it’s not fair that WN has so many gates” while continuing to engage in illegal tenancy? What’s the airport’s/city’s rationale for not acting within the letter of the law? WN is justified in being so pissed off, regardless of how many gates it has. This seems fairly black and white.
Squatter? How long did Southwest airlines go rent free? Southwest didn’t pay rent for 10 years in certain airports.
A. I have no idea. Care to provide references or supporting documentation?
B. That’s not what I was asking or commenting on. Doesn’t make it right for WN, either. In this article, though, I’m questioning DL’s response, not WN’s past actions.
Technically they are holding over on there lease. Eviction is the ultimate end.
I think DL argument is an emotional (not legal) appeal to the landlord nit the lease holder.
The landlord could just bills additional gates or provide a non gate boarding experience.
LUV has a lease on the gate. It can do as it pleases with that lease as long as it makes lease payments on time.
I fly from ATL to Dallas all of the time, but based on where I’m going in the city I will sometimes opt to fly to DFW and sometimes to DAL but always on Delta. The perks of DAL is the smaller size, ease of access, and generally more sensical airport layout (DFW has structural challenges that make it inconvenient for connecting passengers and long walks from gate to gate which were somewhat mitigated by an airside train). The perks of DFW is the frequency of flights and the SkyClub (not the best, but beats not having one).
Hey Mathew. You characterized this as 2 children that can’t share with each other. Then you said Delta is trespassing. Which is it? Can’t be both.
In the interest of competition, SWA needs to squat at a delta DFW gate. They can’t though because they would need a lease not just an opinion about competition.
When will “Matthew” write a nice article about Delta?
I’m rooting for Delta here. Southwest should not have monopoly on airport.
Then write an article about the idiocy of the city leasing 100% or maybe 95% – not sure the lease status of the Alaska gates – to one company and complaining when the become a minosaurus.
You’re a bit off on the history here. The agreement to end the Wright Amendment happened in conjunction with an agreement to rebuilt the concourse at DAL. At that time, WN, CO/UA, and AA all had gates, and the agreement was 16 in the new concourse for WN, and 2 each for CO/UA and AA. CO was using gates in the old concourse that the airline had owned since before DFW opened. With the AA/US merger, AA was required to relinquish their DAL gates, which VX eventually won, despite a bid from DL. UA wasn’t fully using their gates, and sublet some of that space to DL. Eventually UA decided to pull out and lease their space to WN. DL refused to vacate at that point. The two gates UA had were never WN’s until UA pulled out – and I believe WN is actually subleasing them from UA.
If DL is a squatter, WN is a bully and in collusion with the Russians, I mean AA. WN and AA got the Wright Amendment to end on the condition that 35 gates be reduced to WN. Because of that, other airlines should have some gates before AA or WN gets theirs.
Some things are overdue.
1. United tulip should come back
2. DAL should be forced to build another 10-15 gates of which WN cannot take all of them but must allow a few for others
I am fascinated by this discussion. My family is in Minneapolis, which is completely dominated by Delta. When I was living in Lansing, there were rare (maybe once a day) very expensive direct flights to MSP by Delta from Lansing, otherwise to fly direct you had to get to Detroit, the big Delta hub. Then Sun Country, small airline I think based in Minnesota, started 1-2 cheap daily flights to Lansing from the small terminal in MSP. Wonderful quick flights. Yay! Sure enough, Delta starting flying more direct flights from Lansing, undercut Sun Country, and Sun Country has to stop their Lansing-MSP service. And of course, Delta then cut service and raised the prices on direct flights, forcing Lansing traffic through their Detroit hub once again.
Fast forward a few years, and the exact same thing has happened in DC where I live now, Sun Country was undercut out of DCA by Delta and there are no cheap direct flights to MSP anymore.
Long story short (too late, I know), I am fascinated by the impression that in Dallas Southwest is a monopolistic giant! In the east/midwest, it’s a life-saver. So I can’t say I”m on Delta’s side in an argument that seems pretty clearly about breach of contract. Delta owns a gob-zillion gates at a gob-zillion airports, they should at least inhabit them legally.
Thanks for the interesting discussion, I’ll be reading your blog more regularly.
Delta’s argument is that Southwest would have a monopoly in Dallas? According to this article, Delta is concerned about the citizens of Dallas. We all know there’s a second airport though. And DFW is 30 minutes from DAL. Delta’s needs to shut it and vacate and just worry about DFW. The it’s ridiculous.
Delta, one of the biggest corporations that didn’t pay taxes. Now they are trying to push government around into giving them what they probably don’t deserve. I fly Delta quite a bit and like them. But this is a pretty negative move on their part.
What I do see anyone talking about is that “squatting” would seem to imply DL is essentially illegal occupying space at DAL without paying anything. I find it hard to believe that DL is not paying any bills at all. I’m not sure what the eviction laws are in TX, but in a few other states, if you don’t have a lease but keep paying your rent, it’s very hard for the landlord to actually kick you out. It’s almost as if you’re rights are grandfathered in until the day you stop paying. So as much as Southwest may want them out, if DL is paying whatever they need to pay to whoever it is, DL probably isn’t going anywhere.
Just a couple of key points the article leaves out…. United offered to sell the gates to Delta for a large sum, but they declined. United then offered SWA the gates at the same price, and SWA paid the asking price for them, they are not leasing the gates from United…. SWA bought them. Delta refuses to pay, Delta refuses to leave. Pretty straight forward. Delta has DFW.
I thought Delta was still at DAL due to a court injunction, not “squatting”.
So the City of Dallas, American Air & Southwest Air came up with an agreement to end the “Wright Amendment”. And that’s legal how ?? Did DL agree to this ?
The Wright Amendment itself is a farce. Other slot controlled airports have their restrictions due to capacity restraints. DAL, prior to DFW, was always a much bigger operation than it has ever been since DFW opened. Capacity was not the issue, competition to DFW was. The (then existing) CAB ordered all airlines to DFW, but WN stayed at DAL since being an intrastate carrier, they didn’t report to CAB. Later, when WN wanted to expand beyond Texas, they cried foul. Thus the Wright Amendment that allowed them to expand to neighboring states. All of this in a country that boasts of letting the free market decide.
Then WN, who benefited many years under Wright, agrees to repeal it if DAL gets “false” capacity restrictions due to being limited to 20 gates … of which 18 go to WN. AA agrees since WN gets limited at DAL. City of Dallas agrees since airport noise is capped (at an airport that was a much larger operation long before the vast majority of nearby residents decided to buy close to an airport). How is any part of this agreement legal ? This is “free market” ????
it’s not the SWA doesn’t share it just doent like Delta. I hope they win cause i think SWA wanted Love field for the smaller carriers like JetBlue and Alaska. Delta is a Mega Carrier who should only fly into DFW alone with AA and United