Virgin America announced it would begin selling tickets for its planned flights at Dallas Love Field, touting fares as low as $79 each way on routes to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington.
It's the latest development in a three-airline scramble to win two gates that American Airlines must give up at the airport as part of an agreement that cleared the way for it to merge with US Airways.
Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines also want to take control of the gates. Adding an additional layer of complexity to the fight for the Dallas gates, Delta currently is subleasing the gates that American must give up.
As for Virgin America's schedule announcement, the carrier indicated it has reached a deal to secure the Love Field gates.
"We have a signed gate-transfer agreement with American that has been approved by the (DOJ) Department of Justice," Virgin America spokeswoman Abby Lundardini says in an e-mail to Today in the Sky. "American was instructed by the DOJ to divest the gates to Virgin America as a low-fare, new-entrant airline -- to ensure there is some competition in this market."
The deal would still need to be OK'd by the city of Dallas, which owns the airport.
On that point, Lunardini says: "At present, Love Field is monopoly-controlled by one carrier -- with 80% control of the gates. We are confident the city will approve the agreement, as this is a win for Dallas consumers in terms of fares and service."
Southwest already controls 16 of the 20 gates at Love Field.
TODAY IN THE SKY: Virgin America eyes focus city at Dallas Love Field (March 2014)
If Virgin America is cleared for the flights at Dallas Love Field, it would end its existing service at Dallas/Fort Worth. Virgin America plans to fly from Dallas Love Field to five major business destinations: New York LaGuardia, Washington Reagan National (DCA), Chicago O'Hare, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
However, it was just Thursday night that key parties said they believed a decision on the Love Field gates to still be weeks away.
"The city of Dallas is aware of the interest among several carriers to operate out of two of the 20 gates at Dallas Love Field," the city of Dallas, which owns Love Field, said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News. "As of today (Thursday), there has been no decision regarding any carriers operating at these gates."
Even the CEO of American indicated on Thursday that he was not aware of any decision -- or perhaps he was displaying a good poker face.
"We cannot," AA's Doug Parker is quoted as saying by the Morning News when asked if he could confirm a decision on the Love Field gates. "We can confirm that as part of our agreement with the Department of Justice, we agreed to divest those gates. But we have no other knowledge."
Speculation about the gates began building in the Dallas media on Thursday when Virgin America announced a Friday morning press conference to discuss the carrier's "future in Dallas." In a precursor to that press conference, a Virgin America Airbus A320 touched down at Love Field on Thursday as the press event loomed.


Virgin America: We have a deal for AA's Dallas Love gates