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Southwest Airlines Could Consider Move From Dallas


UPDATED: 10:27 pm CST February 24, 2006
DALLAS, Texas -- Southwest Airlines confirmed Friday night that a half-dozen cities are interested in wooing the airline's corporate headquarters.

A meeting is planned soon with city leaders from Phoenix, NBC 5's Scott Gordon reported.

A Southwest Airlines spokesman insisted that this is no threat, but he said it is tied directly to the Wright Amendment, which restricts flights from Love Field to much of the country. He pointed out that Southwest already has a major operation in Phoenix, home to 4,000 employees. About 3,000 employees work at the airline's headquarters.

The spokesman said that this is not a ploy to help repeal the Wright Amendment.

The spokesman said that if the airline considered now where to put its headquarters, Dallas "wouldn't even make the short list."

So far, there has been no reaction from the city of Dallas.

A spokesman for Mayor Laura Miller said she was with her family Friday night and could not be reached.