Southwest Airlines has already made quite a few high-profile changes over the past several months, but it sounds like another significant change is on the horizon for the major airline.
While Southwest is based in the Dallas area, the airline does not currently fly out of the city’s largest airport, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Instead, the airline has been limited to its home base at Dallas Love Field, where it operates 18 of the airport’s 20 gates.
However, it sounds like Southwest is expecting to come to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in the near future.
Major Southwest Changes in Recent Months
- End of Free Bags: Southwest Airlines began charging customers for checked bags back in May, ending its longstanding “bags fly free” policy.
- Assigned Seating: Beginning in January, Southwest Airlines will ditch its longstanding open-seating policy and embrace an assigned seating model.
- Ditching its Point-to-Point Model: Southwest has made it clear that it will move away from its point-to-point model, which prioritizes nonstop flights, and instead embrace more of a hub-and-spoke model, connecting cities through central hubs.
- Expanding Internationally: The airline announced earlier this year that it intends to expand its international offerings, likely even including long-haul flights to Europe.
- Free In-Flight WiFi: Southwest has begun offering free in-flight WiFi to its Rapid Rewards members.
Southwest to Dallas-Fort Worth International
While Southwest Airlines is based in Dallas, Texas, it does not currently operate out of the city’s biggest airport. But it sounds like that’s about to change.
Speaking at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s annual Aviation Breakfast last week, Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan confirmed that the airline will be coming to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport at some point in the future.
“It is not if, it’s when,” Jordan said, via the Dallas Business Journal. “We will be at DFW.”
Why Move to DFW Now?
There are two major reasons why Southwest Airlines is now looking to expand to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The first is that a key law that prevented the move is expiring. The second is that the airline is looking to expand internationally.
As the Dallas Business Journal explains, decades-old federal law, known as the Wright Amendment, previously would have required Southwest to give up some of its 18 gates at Love Field if it ever expanded to DFW. However, that amendment expired this year, paving the way for Southwest to expand to Dallas-Fort Worth if it desired.
Such a move would seemingly be very beneficial to Southwest Airlines in the coming years as the airline looks to expand its international offerings, given that remnants of the Wright Amendment will continue to prevent the airline from operating international flights out of Love Field.
