With end of amendment, Southwest expands Dallas service

   For the first time in its history, Southwest Airlines will add 15 nonstop, domestic flights from Dallas Love Field.
   Five new services will begin Oct. 13, with 10 more beginning in November, the company has announced.
   The change is a result of the ending of flight restrictions imposed in the 1979 Wright Amendment, which limited Southwest to servicing just nine states, in order to protect airlines operating out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The bill, which Southwest has alleged is unfair, was repealed in 2006, with existing flight restrictions expiring in October. 
   “The official repeal of Wright Amendment federal flight restrictions signifies a turning point for the Southwest brand not just in Dallas, but from coast-to-coast,” stated Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines’ chairman, president and chief executive officer. 
   The new flights will leave from Dallas Love Field, bringing Southwest’s nonstop destinations from there to 31.
   The services beginning Oct. 13 will route to Baltimore/Washington; Denver; Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; and Chicago Midway. Services starting Nov. 2 will go to Atlanta; Nashville; Washington, D.C.; Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Fla.; Los Angeles; New York; Phoenix; San Diego; Orange County/Santa Ana, Calif.; and Tampa, Fla.
   Southwest said it will announce specific flight schedules in May.
   In 2013, Southwest ended with total revenues of $17.7 billion, $164 million of which came from the cargo side of the business — a 2.5-percent, year over year increase.