Originally Posted by
Carl Spackler
The foundation of every one of your points here is simply wrong. The majors operating out of Love field wanted airport expansion. The federal and local governments (under pressure from constituents due to very high levels of noise) wanted a new airport built. The governments threatened the existing airlines with major restrictions and a refusal of future expansion of Love field. Under severe political pressure, the majors signed an agreement to move out of Love when the new DFW airport was built. Love would only be an an airport for smaller aircraft and shorter ranges. That was the deal all parties agreed to.
Then SWA was created and filled the vacuum at Love field. All parties pitched a fit at this and wanted SWA to move out to DFW like they had been forced to do. But as we've discussed earlier, SWA won the lawsuit because they weren't in existence yet when everyone signed the agreement to leave Love.
That's the history shoelu and it's not debatable. The history is all over the Internet in great detail. Your claim that the major airlines signed the agreement to leave Love of their own free will is complete hogwash. It was the last thing they wanted to do.
Carl
I think you use the word "forced" pretty loosely. The legacy carriers would not have moved unless they thought they could make more money at DFW. Love Field had reached its limit and expansion wasn't an option due to politics, public pressure, etc... The legacies could have stayed, but they would have stagnated. It didn't fit their future plans, but DFW did so they made a choice and agreed to move. The option of staying wasn't attractive, but so what. They just failed to shut the door behind them. They weren't cheated or swindled, they just overlooked the possibility of outside competition. = poor business. The Wright Ammendment was their way of limiting competition and mitigating the damage of their failed planning. No goverment can force a company to operate somewhere it doesn't want to go. The alternatives may not be as attractive, but it's a choice. In this case the alternative of operating out of a small field with limited growth fit Southwest perfectly. Nothing unfair about that at all.