If an airline wants to offer me a flight from DAL to anyplace in the world, I should be able to take that flight. Making DFW the only airport for servicing the DFW area is just plain stupid, un-American, and short-sighted. (Un-American because it goes against the spirit of capitalism) David R -------------- Original message -------------- From: Roger LaFrance <lafrance@xxxxxxxxxxx> > People from Dallas can fly anywhere in the world..... from DFW. > > "Agarwalla, Niraj" wrote: Wright Amendment is a > stupid piece of legislation. It should be > repealed so the people of Dallas can fly from any airport they > want....that's the free-market solution. > > -- > Niraj Agarwalla > > > -----Original Message----- > From: The Airline List [mailto:AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of > David MR > Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 3:30 PM > To: AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: Re: article: One-stop flights: a Wright solution? > > > NOT a solution! > > David R > > -------------- Original message --------------=20 > From: Travel Pages =20 > > > > http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-ticket_26bus. > ART0.Sta=20 > > te.Edition1.3f26316.html=20 > >=20 > > One-stop flights: a Wright solution?=20 > > Neither American nor Southwest would love this compromise=20 > >=20 > > 12:00 AM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006=20 > > By ERIC TORBENSON and ROBERT DODGE / The Dallas Morning News=20 > >=20 > > Letting Southwest Airlines Co. fly passengers anywhere from Dallas > Love Field=20 > > on just one ticket - as long as they stop within a Wright amendment > state -=20 > > gives the carrier something it can't do today.=20 > >=20 > > But not nearly what it wants.=20 > >=20 > > "You are only giving people a slice of the pie, and they know there is > more,"=20 > > said Ron Ricks, Southwest's senior vice president for law, airports > and public=20 > > affairs.=20 > >=20 > > At the same time, offering through-ticketing rights to airlines > serving Love=20 > > hurts American Airlines Inc., which believes it bleeds money with any > change to=20 > > the federal Wright law.=20 > >=20 > > But the pain to American from through ticketing would be far less than > that of=20 > > full repeal.=20 > >=20 > > "Through ticketing is among the spectrum of options that lie between > closing=20 > > Love and opening it up completely," said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for > Fort=20 > > Worth-based American.=20 > >=20 > > Neither Southwest nor American is enthusiastic about solving the > contentious=20 > > 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,=20 > > the temptation exists to put it on the table.=20 > >=20 > > Talks are under way, with a June deadline for the mayors of the two > cities to=20 > > reach a local compromise on Wright, in an effort to forestall > congressional=20 > > action that could be unpalatable to North Texas.=20 > >=20 > > Even if the process arrives at full repeal, through ticketing could > still=20 > > emerge as an interim step.=20 > >=20 > > Some outside Texas have a keen interest in through ticketing becoming > reality=20 > > at Love.=20 > >=20 > > In Missouri, which was exempted from Wright limits in November, the > state's=20 > > major airports in St. Louis and Kansas City could easily serve as > stopping=20 > > points for North Texas fliers, boosting traffic.=20 > >=20 > > Under the 1979 Wright law, airlines are prohibited from offering or=20 > > advertising flights between Love Field and any city beyond the > perimeter, which=20 > > now includes nine states: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New > Mexico,=20 > > Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi and Missouri.=20 > >=20 > > As a result, passengers can't travel from Love Field to Phoenix or Los > Angeles=20 > > on a single ticket, even if they're willing to stop or change planes > first in=20 > > Albuquerque, N.M.=20 > >=20 > > Less than convenient=20 > >=20 > > For those willing to buy two tickets to make a long-haul trip from > Love, fares=20 > > end up being higher. And because schedules aren't set to accommodate > through=20 > > ticketing, transfers often aren't convenient.=20 > >=20 > > The restrictions used to apply to baggage, which had to get rechecked > when the=20 > > passenger changed planes. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, > federal security=20 > > rules were revised to allow bags to be checked through.=20 > > While the mayors of Dallas and Fort Worth negotiate a compromise on > Wright,=20 > > American and Southwest are sticking with their public positions.=20 > >=20 > > American wants Love Field to be closed, saying any shift of traffic > there=20 > > hurts its hub at the area's primary airport, Dallas/Fort Worth > International.=20 > > That, in turn, hurts the region's economy, the carrier says.=20 > >=20 > > Officials at the world's largest airline acknowledge, though, that > through=20 > > ticketing is among the available options and might play a key role in > how the=20 > > cities try to end the fight.=20 > >=20 > > Faced with a bevy of new one-stop Southwest flights from Love, > American might=20 > > be forced to offer competing service or otherwise alter its schedule > and fares=20 > > to go up against the Dallas-based discounter. That would cost > American, but how=20 > > much isn't known, Mr. Wagner said.=20 > >=20 > > Southwest wants unfettered access to its nationwide network from Love > Field.=20 > > So the carrier sees through ticketing as just a good start - not a > solution.=20 > >=20 > > Southwest would like to see through-ticketing restrictions removed > immediately=20 > > in the first step of any plan to dismantle the Wright amendment.=20 > >=20 > > The lifting of through-ticketing restrictions would change how > Southwest flies=20 > > from Love.=20 > >=20 > > Southwest chief executive Gary Kelly has said the carrier would alter > its=20 > > schedule not only at Love but also at Albuquerque and other Wright > airports to=20 > > make connections easier for passengers.=20 > >=20 > > The carrier would build new connections to move North Texas passengers > swiftly=20 > > through Southwest's network to the East and West.=20 > >=20 > > Mr. Ricks, Southwest's chief lobbyist, said the airline would be > willing to=20 > > negotiate terms such as the rules of through ticketing, but it > believes that the=20 > > talks between the cities are about phasing out Wright, not closing > Love.=20 > >=20 > > He said Southwest understands that the talks are focused on three > major=20 > > points: eliminating through-ticketing restrictions, allowing long-haul > flights=20 > > and dealing with capacity issues at Love Field.=20 > >=20 > > 'Willing to compromise'=20 > >=20 > > "We are willing to compromise," Mr. Ricks said. "Everybody who came to > us said=20 > > that if we would participate in good faith, the discussions would > revolve around=20 > > repeal of the Wright amendment."=20 > >=20 > > But the airline is adamant that through ticketing is not a final > solution.=20 > >=20 > > "For the consumers who are driving this issue, if they picked up The > Dallas=20 > > Morning News and read that the only thing they are going to get out of > this is=20 > > one stop or more out of Love Field, they would feel like the political > process=20 > > had let them down," Mr. Ricks said.=20 > >=20 > > For consumers, one-stop tickets from Love Field would be cheaper than > the=20 > > current two-ticket option as well as competitive with nonstop flights > from D/FW.=20 > >=20 > > Still, many airline experts doubt that through ticketing at Love would > siphon=20 > > many passengers - especially high-dollar business fliers - away from > American's=20 > > 800-flight-a-day D/FW hub.=20 > >=20 > > "It's not much more than a paper clips and baling wire solution," said > Robert=20 > > W. Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, N.Y. "It gives > Southwest very=20 > > little because what they really want is to be able to fly nonstop > traffic."=20 > >=20 > > It's unclear how much airfares might change with through ticketing.=20 > > Southwest's highest fares are now $309 each way, far lower in most > cases than=20 > > American's top domestic fare, which can approach $800 each way.=20 > >=20 > > American's Mr. Wagner said his airline competes against a considerable > amount=20 > > of one-stop traffic from D/FW.=20 > >=20 > > "If our nonstop fares aren't competitive with the one-stop fares we > face, we=20 > > lose traffic," he said.=20 > >=20 > > An unknown number of fliers are already flying from the region using > two=20 > > tickets on Southwest flights, he said, instead of on American's > nonstops from=20 > > D/FW.=20 > >=20 > > American's other concern is that allowing through ticketing probably > wouldn't=20 > > end the battle over Wright but could fan the flames for further > loosening of the=20 > > law.=20 > >=20 > > Yet some observers say American should just accept that Love isn't > closing and=20 > > do everything possible to hem in Southwest's growth. American can also > charge=20 > > more for nonstop service from D/FW.=20 > >=20 > > "American doesn't need Southwest flying against them at D/FW. Love > Field is=20 > > the inferior airport," said Michael Boyd of the Boyd Group in > Evergreen, Colo.=20 > > "It's just lunacy what American is doing."=20 > >=20 > > Connecting cities=20 > >=20 > > Some of the biggest beneficiaries of through ticketing may be outside > North=20 > > Texas.=20 > >=20 > > Missouri was added to the Wright perimeter after the state's > Republican=20 > > senator, Christopher "Kit" Bond, pushed through a provision exempting > the state=20 > > from the flight restrictions at Love.=20 > >=20 > > Less than two weeks after President Bush signed the legislation into > law,=20 > > Southwest launched service from Love to St. Louis and Kansas City. > American=20 > > launched competing service from Love earlier this month.=20 > >=20 > > With through ticketing, Southwest's growing schedule at St. Louis > could=20 > > provide connections for eastbound Love passengers to cities such as > Baltimore=20 > > and Detroit.=20 > >=20 > > At Kansas City's airport, westbound passengers could connect to cities > such as=20 > > Seattle or Oakland.=20 > >=20 > > When asked if through ticketing might work better for his state than > full=20 > > Wright repeal, Mr. Bond smiled and said: "There is always that > possibility."=20 > >=20 > > Through ticketing could also benefit the airport in Nashville, another > > > fast-growing city for Southwest, if Tennessee were tacked onto the > Wright=20 > > perimeter. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., tried > unsuccessfully to=20 > > add the state last year.=20 > >=20 > > For now, Mr. Bond said he is waiting to see what the talks between the > two=20 > > mayors produce. "We are watching to see how the various parties work > it out," he=20 > > said.=20 > >=20 > > North Texas' delegation has decided to let the cities attempt to > settle the=20 > > issue, but through ticketing is still top of mind.=20 > >=20 > > "I think through ticketing is certainly one of the ways to ease the > tension on=20 > > the Wright amendment, but that has to be coupled with other > limitations at Love=20 > > Field that level the playing field," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, > R-Texas.=20 > >=20 > > "This has to be a local solution that makes the most sense for people > in North=20 > > Texas," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who indicated that he expected > through=20 > > ticketing to be part of a larger plan and not the final word.=20 > >=20 > > "It certainly would be more than just that one issue that would be > involved,"=20 > > he said. "It would have to be a comprehensive solution."=20 > >=20 > > Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, co-sponsor of a bill to repeal the law, > said=20 > > through ticketing could be part of a longer phase-out.=20 > >=20 > > "If somebody wants to bring another plan with another timetable, and > if=20 > > through-ticketing is part of that solution, I would have to take a > look," Mr.=20 > > Hensarling said. "I just do not believe it is a permanent solution > because you=20 > > would still have Congress picking winners and losers among airports."=20 > >=20 > > Eric Torbenson reported from Dallas and Robert Dodge reported from > Washington.=20 > > Staff writer Todd J. Gillman in Washington contributed to this report. > > >=20 > >=20 > >=20 > >=20 > > ---------------------------------=20 > > Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low > rates.=20 > > > > Roger & Amanda La France