NOT a solution! David R -------------- Original message -------------- From: Travel Pages <travelpages@xxxxxxxxx> > http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-ticket_26bus.ART0.Sta > te.Edition1.3f26316.html > > One-stop flights: a Wright solution? > Neither American nor Southwest would love this compromise > > 12:00 AM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006 > By ERIC TORBENSON and ROBERT DODGE / The Dallas Morning News > > Letting Southwest Airlines Co. fly passengers anywhere from Dallas Love Field > on just one ticket ? as long as they stop within a Wright amendment state ? > gives the carrier something it can't do today. > > But not nearly what it wants. > > "You are only giving people a slice of the pie, and they know there is more," > said Ron Ricks, Southwest's senior vice president for law, airports and public > affairs. > > At the same time, offering through-ticketing rights to airlines serving Love > hurts American Airlines Inc., which believes it bleeds money with any change to > the federal Wright law. > > But the pain to American from through ticketing would be far less than that of > full repeal. > > "Through ticketing is among the spectrum of options that lie between closing > Love and opening it up completely," said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for Fort > Worth-based American. > > Neither Southwest nor American is enthusiastic about solving the contentious > fight over the limits on long-haul flights at Love by allowing through > ticketing. But as Dallas and Fort Worth attempt to hash out a Wright solution, > the temptation exists to put it on the table. > > Talks are under way, with a June deadline for the mayors of the two cities to > reach a local compromise on Wright, in an effort to forestall congressional > action that could be unpalatable to North Texas. > > Even if the process arrives at full repeal, through ticketing could still > emerge as an interim step. > > Some outside Texas have a keen interest in through ticketing becoming reality > at Love. > > In Missouri, which was exempted from Wright limits in November, the state's > major airports in St. Louis and Kansas City could easily serve as stopping > points for North Texas fliers, boosting traffic. > > Under the 1979 Wright law, airlines are prohibited from offering or > advertising flights between Love Field and any city beyond the perimeter, which > now includes nine states: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, > Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi and Missouri. > > As a result, passengers can't travel from Love Field to Phoenix or Los Angeles > on a single ticket, even if they're willing to stop or change planes first in > Albuquerque, N.M. > > Less than convenient > > For those willing to buy two tickets to make a long-haul trip from Love, fares > end up being higher. And because schedules aren't set to accommodate through > ticketing, transfers often aren't convenient. > > The restrictions used to apply to baggage, which had to get rechecked when the > passenger changed planes. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, federal security > rules were revised to allow bags to be checked through. > While the mayors of Dallas and Fort Worth negotiate a compromise on Wright, > American and Southwest are sticking with their public positions. > > American wants Love Field to be closed, saying any shift of traffic there > hurts its hub at the area's primary airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International. > That, in turn, hurts the region's economy, the carrier says. > > Officials at the world's largest airline acknowledge, though, that through > ticketing is among the available options and might play a key role in how the > cities try to end the fight. > > Faced with a bevy of new one-stop Southwest flights from Love, American might > be forced to offer competing service or otherwise alter its schedule and fares > to go up against the Dallas-based discounter. That would cost American, but how > much isn't known, Mr. Wagner said. > > Southwest wants unfettered access to its nationwide network from Love Field. > So the carrier sees through ticketing as just a good start ? not a solution. > > Southwest would like to see through-ticketing restrictions removed immediately > in the first step of any plan to dismantle the Wright amendment. > > The lifting of through-ticketing restrictions would change how Southwest flies > from Love. > > Southwest chief executive Gary Kelly has said the carrier would alter its > schedule not only at Love but also at Albuquerque and other Wright airports to > make connections easier for passengers. > > The carrier would build new connections to move North Texas passengers swiftly > through Southwest's network to the East and West. > > Mr. Ricks, Southwest's chief lobbyist, said the airline would be willing to > negotiate terms such as the rules of through ticketing, but it believes that the > talks between the cities are about phasing out Wright, not closing Love. > > He said Southwest understands that the talks are focused on three major > points: eliminating through-ticketing restrictions, allowing long-haul flights > and dealing with capacity issues at Love Field. > > 'Willing to compromise' > > "We are willing to compromise," Mr. Ricks said. "Everybody who came to us said > that if we would participate in good faith, the discussions would revolve around > repeal of the Wright amendment." > > But the airline is adamant that through ticketing is not a final solution. > > "For the consumers who are driving this issue, if they picked up The Dallas > Morning News and read that the only thing they are going to get out of this is > one stop or more out of Love Field, they would feel like the political process > had let them down," Mr. Ricks said. > > For consumers, one-stop tickets from Love Field would be cheaper than the > current two-ticket option as well as competitive with nonstop flights from D/FW. > > Still, many airline experts doubt that through ticketing at Love would siphon > many passengers ? especially high-dollar business fliers ? away from American's > 800-flight-a-day D/FW hub. > > "It's not much more than a paper clips and baling wire solution," said Robert > W. Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, N.Y. "It gives Southwest very > little because what they really want is to be able to fly nonstop traffic." > > It's unclear how much airfares might change with through ticketing. > Southwest's highest fares are now $309 each way, far lower in most cases than > American's top domestic fare, which can approach $800 each way. > > American's Mr. Wagner said his airline competes against a considerable amount > of one-stop traffic from D/FW. > > "If our nonstop fares aren't competitive with the one-stop fares we face, we > lose traffic," he said. > > An unknown number of fliers are already flying from the region using two > tickets on Southwest flights, he said, instead of on American's nonstops from > D/FW. > > American's other concern is that allowing through ticketing probably wouldn't > end the battle over Wright but could fan the flames for further loosening of the > law. > > Yet some observers say American should just accept that Love isn't closing and > do everything possible to hem in Southwest's growth. American can also charge > more for nonstop service from D/FW. > > "American doesn't need Southwest flying against them at D/FW. Love Field is > the inferior airport," said Michael Boyd of the Boyd Group in Evergreen, Colo. > "It's just lunacy what American is doing." > > Connecting cities > > Some of the biggest beneficiaries of through ticketing may be outside North > Texas. > > Missouri was added to the Wright perimeter after the state's Republican > senator, Christopher "Kit" Bond, pushed through a provision exempting the state > from the flight restrictions at Love. > > Less than two weeks after President Bush signed the legislation into law, > Southwest launched service from Love to St. Louis and Kansas City. American > launched competing service from Love earlier this month. > > With through ticketing, Southwest's growing schedule at St. Louis could > provide connections for eastbound Love passengers to cities such as Baltimore > and Detroit. > > At Kansas City's airport, westbound passengers could connect to cities such as > Seattle or Oakland. > > When asked if through ticketing might work better for his state than full > Wright repeal, Mr. Bond smiled and said: "There is always that possibility." > > Through ticketing could also benefit the airport in Nashville, another > fast-growing city for Southwest, if Tennessee were tacked onto the Wright > perimeter. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., tried unsuccessfully to > add the state last year. > > For now, Mr. Bond said he is waiting to see what the talks between the two > mayors produce. "We are watching to see how the various parties work it out," he > said. > > North Texas' delegation has decided to let the cities attempt to settle the > issue, but through ticketing is still top of mind. > > "I think through ticketing is certainly one of the ways to ease the tension on > the Wright amendment, but that has to be coupled with other limitations at Love > Field that level the playing field," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. > > "This has to be a local solution that makes the most sense for people in North > Texas," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who indicated that he expected through > ticketing to be part of a larger plan and not the final word. > > "It certainly would be more than just that one issue that would be involved," > he said. "It would have to be a comprehensive solution." > > Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, co-sponsor of a bill to repeal the law, said > through ticketing could be part of a longer phase-out. > > "If somebody wants to bring another plan with another timetable, and if > through-ticketing is part of that solution, I would have to take a look," Mr. > Hensarling said. "I just do not believe it is a permanent solution because you > would still have Congress picking winners and losers among airports." > > Eric Torbenson reported from Dallas and Robert Dodge reported from Washington. > Staff writer Todd J. Gillman in Washington contributed to this report. > > > > > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.