Dallas Love Field

Dallas Love Field
2006 USGS aerial photo
IATA: DAL – ICAO: KDAL – FAA LID: DAL DAL Location of the Dallas Love Field
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Dallas
Operator	Dallas Department of Aviation
Serves	Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington
Location	Dallas, Texas, USA
Focus city for	Southwest Airlines Virgin America [1]
Elevation AMSL	487 ft / 148 m
Coordinates	32°50′50″N 096°51′06″W / 32.84722°N 96.85167°W / 32.84722; -96.85167Coordinates: 32°50′50″N 096°51′06″W / 32.84722°N 96.85167°W / 32.84722; -96.85167
Website	www.dallas-lovefield.com
Map
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 13L/31R 7,752 2,363 Concrete 13R/31L 8,800 2,682 Concrete 18/36 6,147 1,874 Asphalt
Statistics (2007, 2013[2])
Aircraft operations (2013) 177,417 Passenger (2013) 8,470,586 Based aircraft (2007) 693
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[3]

Dallas Love Field (IATA: DAL, ICAO: KDAL, FAA LID: DAL) is a city-owned public airport 6 miles (10 km) northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas.^[3] It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened.

Southwest Airlines' corporate headquarters is at Love Field, and Dallas is a focus city for them. Seven full service fixed base operators (FBOs) provide general aviation service: fuel, maintenance, hangar rentals, and charters. Some also provide meeting rooms, car rentals, limousine service and restaurants.

History

Dallas Love Field is named after Moss L. Love,^[4] who while assigned to the U.S. Army 11th Cavalry, died in an airplane crash near San Diego, California on September 4, 1913, becoming the 10th fatality in U.S. army aviation history. His Wright Model C biplane crashed during practice for his Military Aviator Test.^[5] Love Field was named by the United States Army on October 19, 1917.

World War I

Dallas Love Field has its origins beginning in 1917 when the Army announced its intention of establishing a series of camps to train prospective pilots after the United States entry into World War I. The airfield was one of thirty-two new Air Service fields.^[6] It was constructed just southeast of Bachman Lake, and it covered over 700 acres and could accommodate up to 1,000 personnel. Dozens of wooden buildings served as headquarters, maintenance, and officers’ quarters. Enlisted men had to bivouac in tents.^[7]

Love Field served as a base for flight training for the United States Army Air Service. In 1917, flight training occurred in two phases: primary and advanced. Primary training took eight weeks and consisted of pilots learning basic flight skills under dual and solo instruction. After completion of their primary training at Love Field, flight cadets were then transferred to another base for advanced training.^[7]

After officially opening on October 19, 1917, the first unit stationed at Love Field was the 136th Aero Squadron, which was transferred from Kelly Field, south of San Antonio, Texas. Only a few U.S. Army Air Service aircraft arrived with the 136th Aero Squadron, and most of the Curtiss JN-4 Jennys to be used for flight training were shipped in wooden crates by railcar.^[7] Training units assigned to Love Field during World War I were:^[8]

• Post Headquarters, Love Field, October 1917-December 1919
• 71st Aero Squadron (II), February 1918

Re-designated as Squadron "A", July–November 1918

• 121st Aero Squadron (II), April 1918

Re-designated as Squadron "B", July–November 1918

• 136th Aero Squadron (II), November 1917

Re-designated as Squadron "C", July–November 1918

• 197th Aero Squadron, November 1917

Re-designated as Squadron "D", July–November 1918

• Flying School Detachment (Consolidation of Squadrons A-D), November 1918-November 1919

The 865th Aero Squadron (Repair), was formed at Love Field in March 1918 as a support unit for JN-4 aircraft repair and maintenance. It was assigned to the Aviation Repair Depot, Dallas Texas (at Love Field) in April 1918. It was demobilized in March 1919.

With the sudden end of World War I in November 1918, the future operational status of Love Field was unknown. Many local officials speculated that the U.S. government would keep the field open because of the outstanding combat record established by Love-trained pilots in Europe. Locals also pointed to the optimal weather conditions in the Dallas area for flight training. Cadets in flight training on 11 November 1918 were allowed to complete their training, however no new cadets were assigned to the base. Also the separate training squadrons were consolidated into a single Flying School detachment, as many of the personnel assigned were being demobilized.^[7]

Inter-war years

With the end of World War I, in December 1919 Love Field was deactivated as an active duty airfield, however, and a small caretaker unit was assigned to the facility for administrative reasons. The facility was converted into a storage facility for surplus De Havilland and JN-4 aircraft were stored at Love Field (some JN-4s were bought back by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in the spring of 1919.)^[9]:12 Post-war "the largest recruiting mission in the spring and summer of 1919" was led by Lt. Col. Henry B. Clagett beginning with seven DH-4s departing Dallas and which flew as far as Boston.^[9]:8 A small caretaker unit was assigned to the facility for administrative reasons and it was used intermittently to support small military units.

In January 1921, 1st lt William D. Coney attempted to fly from San Diego to Jacksonville with just one stop—at Love Field.^[9]:177 In 1921, the aviation repair depot next to Love Field moved to Kelly Field in San Antonio to consolidate with the supply depot at Kelly, forming the San Antonio Intermediate Air Depot. In 1923, Dallas was a route point between Muskogee and Kelly Field on the southern division of the model airway.^[9]:152 However by 1923, the decision had been made to phase down all activities at the new base in accordance with sharply reduced military budgets and it was closed. The War Department had ordered the small caretaker force at Love Field to dismantle all remaining structures and to sell them as surplus. The War Department leased out the vacant land to local farmers and ranchers

In 1927, Dallas purchased Love Field which opened for civilian use (1st passenger service was by the National Air Transport company.)^[10] On April 9, 1932, the first paved runways at the airfield were completed,^[11] and in March 1939 the airfield had 21 weekday airline departures: 9 American, 8 Braniff and 4 Delta.^[12] "On 6 June 1939, the War Department approved...nine civil school detachments", including one at Dallas^[13]:18 (cf. a 1940 school approved for Ft Worth's Hicks Field,^[13]:26 a new 1942 Ft Worth airfield--Tarrant Field at the government plant and which had a 4 engine pilots' school,^[13]:69) and a Ferrying Command control center at Dallas' Hensley Field.^[13]:144)

World War II training and ferrying

By October 1940 at the Texas World War II Army Airfield,^[13]:29 classes had entered the Dallas Texas Aviation School which provided basic (level 1) flight training using Fairchild PT-19s as the primary trainer (several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks were also assigned. The Gulf Coast ACTC school later moved to Brady, Texas;^[13]:32 and Love Field also had an Air Materiel Command modification center.^[13]:141 In September 1942, the Air Transport Command activity at Hensley Field moved to Love Field.^[13]:146 ATC's 5th Ferrying Group, consisting of Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadrons (WAFS) ferried PT-17s, AT-6s and twin-engine Cessna AT-17s; and Love Field was also used by the San Antonio Air Service Command for aircraft overhauls. The 2d Ferrying Squadron of the 5th Ferrying Group was moved by Air Transport Command from Love Field to Fairfax Field at Kansas City on 15 April 1943.^[14]

In September 1943 a new north-south runway 18/36 and northwest-southeast runway 13/31 were completed. Air Force facilities closed at the end of WWII^[15][16] except for Love Field's automatic tracking radar station (call sign Dallas Bomb Plot) for Radar Bomb Scoring that had been established by June 6, 1945^[17] (transferred to Strategic Air Command on March 21, 1946, 10th RBSS Det 1 by 1957.)^[18]

1947 to 1957

On March 9, 1947 Love Field's Lemmon Avenue Terminal Building opened on the east side of the airfield.

On November 29, 1949 American Airlines Flight 157, a Douglas DC-6 en route from New York City to Dallas and Mexico City with 46 passengers and crew, slid off Runway 36 after the flight crew lost control on final approach. The airliner struck a parked airplane, a hangar, and a flight school before crashing into a business across from the airport,^{[N 1]} killing 28. This was the deadliest air disaster in Texas history at the time^[19] and, according to modern reference sources,^[20] remains the deadliest crash to take place at the airfield itself.

Pioneer Airlines moved its base from Houston to Love Field in 1950.^[11]

The February 1953 C&GS diagram shows runway 7 (4301 ft), runway 13 (6201 ft) and runway 18 (5202 ft). On June 1, 1954 Runway 7/25 was closed;^[11] it was later removed to allow terminal expansion. Love Field then had two runways: Runway 13/31, the main runway, and the shorter 18/36.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 52 weekday departures on Braniff, 45 on American, 25 Delta, 21 Trans-Texas, 12 Central and 9 Continental.^[21] Three nonstops a day to Washington DC, three to New York/Newark, six to Chicago, five to California and 12 a week to Mexico City.

1957 to 1974

Love Field's new terminal (the third terminal, designed by Donald S. Nelson^[22]) opened to the airlines on January 20, 1958^[11] with three one-story concourses, 26 ramp-level gates and the world's first airport moving walkways.^[23] Airlines serving the airport at the time included American, Braniff, Central (which was based in Fort Worth), Continental, Delta and Trans Texas (later Texas International).

Turbine-power flights began on April 1, 1959 when Continental Airlines introduced the Vickers Viscount turboprop. Jet airline flights began on July 12, 1959 when American Airlines started Boeing 707 flights to New York.

In 1961 Mr. and Mrs. Earle Wyatt gave a large bronze statue bearing the inscription "One Riot, One Ranger" for display in the airport's new terminal. Famed Texas born sculptress Waldine Tauch created the piece. The inscription refers to an incident in which a single Texas Ranger was dispatched to quell a riot.^[11] Because of terminal renovation from 2010 to 2013, the statue was moved temporarily for display to the nearby Frontiers of Flight Museum, but the statue has now been returned to a prominent location in the lobby of terminal one (August 2013).

On November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy arrived at Love Field on Air Force One, and was assassinated in Dealey Plaza while his motorcade was traveling from Love Field to the Dallas Trade Mart. Hours later, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president aboard Air Force One before its departure from Love Field.

On April 2, 1965 the 8,800 ft (2,682 m) parallel Runway 13R/31L opened (Runway 13/31 became Runway 13L/31R).^[24] The project had been vexed by legal wrangling; safety concerns were raised regarding its proximity to schools^[25] and its minimal safety areas,^[26] while nearby residents attempted to stop the anticipated increase in jet noise and the removal of homes and businesses adjacent to the airport to accommodate the project.^[27][28]

Several terminal expansion programs were fueled by the boom in air travel during the 1960s. American Airlines expanded their concourse in 1968 and Braniff opened its "Terminal of the Future." The expansion, showcasing Alexander Girard, Herman Miller and Ray and Charles Eames designs, featured the first rotunda concourse, jet bridges and several airport innovations. Braniff connected their new terminal to new remote parking lots with the Jetrail monorail system in 1970.^[29] Texas International expanded their concourse in 1969, and Delta's concourse was expanded in 1970.^[11]

In 1972 Love Field saw an hijacking incident. On 12 January, Billy Gene Hurst, Jr., a resident of Houston, hijacked Braniff Flight 38, a Boeing 727 airliner, as it departed William P. Hobby Airport in Houston bound for Dallas. After the plane landed at Love Field, Hurst allowed all 94 passengers to deplane, but continued to hold the 7 crewmembers hostage. Hurst insisted on flying to South America and made a variety of other demands, including food, cigarettes, parachutes, jungle survival gear, US $2 million, and a handgun. After a 6-hour standoff, police gave Hurst a package containing parachutes and some other items, and the hostages escaped while he was distracted examining the package's contents. Police stormed the craft soon afterwards and arrested him without serious incident. He was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.^{[30][31][32][33]}

Needing a larger airport, Dallas and Fort Worth agreed to build Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport (now Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport). It was agreed that to promote the new airport, each city would restrict its own passenger-service airports from air-carrier operations.

Southwest Airlines, founded in 1971 and headquartered at Love Field, built its business on selling quick, no-frills trips between Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The company felt that the notion of a quick trip would be destroyed by a long drive to the new airport. Prior to the opening of DFW, Southwest Airlines sued for the right to remain at Love Field. In 1973 the courts ruled that the City of Dallas could not restrict Southwest Airlines from operating out of Love Field, so long as it remained open as an airport. This ruling effectively granted Southwest the right to continue to operate its existing intrastate service out of Love Field. The airlines operating from Love Field at the time DFW was conceived executed agreements with DFW stipulating that no airline could operate at the new airport if it continued to operate any flights out of Love Field. Southwest, created after the other carriers had signed on to the DFW operating agreements, was not a signatory and remained as the only airline operating at Love Field.^[11]

1973 saw Love Field, which had more than 70 gates and saw frequent Boeing 747 service, reach record enplanements at 6,668,398 as the eighth busiest airport in the United States. On January 13, 1974 DFW Airport opened, ending most passenger service at Love Field.^[11][34]

Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

On 22 November 1963, Air Force One (VC-137C 62-6000) arrived at Love Field from Carswell Air Force Base, near Fort Worth, Texas, landing at 11:30 am. About 2,500 people had turned out to greet President Kennedy and his wife. The Kennedys greeted the crowd which was gathered along a fence line at the airport. At 11:52 am the Presidential motorcade left Love Field, headed for the Presidential luncheon at the Dallas Trade Mart.^[35]

After President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, at 1:13 pm Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson arrived at Love Field from Dallas Parkland Hospital and boarded Air Force One.^[35] Johnson was ordered by Secret Service agents to leave the hospital and go to Air Force One as a security measure, as they could not guarantee his safety at Parkland Hospital.^[36]

Johnson's car pulled directly up to the plane, and he was covered by Secret Service agents and rushed up the stairs to board the aircraft quickly, as there were fears that he was also an assassination target. Once aboard Air Force One, the door was closed and all window shades were pulled down so no possible assassin could see Johnson on board. At first Johnson wanted to take off immediately and all ground power was disconnected, which meant that the aircraft internal lights, along with the air conditioning system was off. However, he was advised to wait until the Oath of office could be administered so the plane sat on the ramp as they waited in the plane. It was not powered, which caused extreme distress to all on board, as the dark plane with no air conditioning became stifling with the heat and humidity inside building up while they waited.^[36]

Nearly an hour later, at 2:15 pm, a hearse arrived and President Kennedy’s casket was loaded aboard Air Force One by Secret Service agents.^[35] The arrival of Kennedy's staff caused confusion on board the plane with the Johnson staff members about the protocol for the transfer of power, including having Johnson board the backup Air Force One (VC-137C 62-5000) and flying him separately back to Washington, D.C.^[36] Johnson insisted that, as the nation had no official President, he would remain at Love Field on the plane and wait for a Federal Judge to arrive.^[36] At 2:38 pm Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson was administered the Presidential Oath of Office aboard Air Force One by Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes. She was the first (and only) woman to administer the oath.^[35] A dictabelt recording of Johnson taking the oath was made, and a photograph was taken. Johnson then ordered the plane to take off immediately.^[36]

At 2:47 pm on 22 November, Air Force One, with President Johnson, the casket and remains of President Kennedy; Mrs. Kennedy and others departed Love Field for Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.^[35]

1974 through 1999

With the drastic reduction in flights and only 467,212 enplanements in 1975,^[11] Love Field decommissioned several of its concourses. The city of Dallas attempted to make use of these dormant facilities by leasing some of them to an entrepreneur who opened the "Llove Entertainment Complex" in November 1975. The main lobby at the front of a former terminal was transformed into movie theaters, ice rink, roller rink, huge video arcades, restaurants and bowling alley. Llove seemed especially suited for the pre-teen and teen crowd, who could spend the day for a single admission charge of about $3.50. Llove closed in May 1978. Several of the concourses were remodeled into support and training buildings for Southwest Airlines.

After deregulation of the U.S. airline industry in 1978, Southwest Airlines was able to enter the larger passenger markets and announced plans to start providing interstate service in 1979. This angered the City of Fort Worth and DFW International Airport, which resented expanded air service at Love Field. Therefore, Fort Worth-based U.S. Representative (later Speaker of the House) Jim Wright helped get a "compromise" law through Congress that restricted air service at Love Field. Using the pretext of protecting DFW, the Wright Amendment restricted passenger air traffic out of Love Field in the following ways: Passenger service on regular mid-sized and large aircraft could only be provided from Love Field to locations within Texas and four neighboring states (Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico). Long-haul service to other states was possible, but only on commuter aircraft with no more capacity than 56 passengers.^[37]

While the Wright Amendment prevented any other major airlines from starting service out of Love Field, it did not deter Southwest. Based on short trips to begin with, Southwest continued to flourish as it used multiple shorthaul flights to build its Love Field operation. Some people managed to "work the system" and get around the Wright Amendment's restrictions. For example, a person could fly from Dallas to Houston or Albuquerque, change planes, and then fly to any city Southwest served — although he had, at the time, to do so on two tickets in each direction, since the Wright Amendment specifically barred airlines from issuing tickets that violated the law's provisions. This work around was also problematic due to the fact that between flights checked baggage had to be collected and checked onto the next flight. This had the effect of creating mini-hubs at Houston/Hobby Airport and the Albuquerque International Sunport. Southwest continued to grow and became one of the most successful and profitable airlines in the United States.

Due to the success of Southwest Airlines, other airlines began considering the use of Love Field for short haul trips. Southwest co-founder Lamar Muse started Muse Air, a short haul competitor using DC-9s and MD-80s between Love Field and Houston in 1982. Muse Air was unable to operate profitably against Southwest at Love Field, and was purchased by Southwest in 1985 and renamed TranStar Airlines. Southwest ceased Transtar operations in 1987. Continental Airlines expressed its intent to fly out of Love Field in 1985, which led to years of court battles over the interpretation of the Wright Amendment as Fort Worth and DFW International Airport continued to try to prevent expansion at Love Field. Seeing the benefit of increased air traffic at Love Field, the City of Dallas began to actively lobby for the repeal of the Wright Amendment restrictions in 1992. In 1997 the Shelby Amendment passed through Congress, amending the Wright Amendment. A compromise of sorts, the Shelby Amendment allowed Love Field flights to three more states, Kansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. It amended the definition of 56-passenger jets that could fly to other states to include any aircraft weighing less than 300,000 pounds with 56 or fewer seats.

The Shelby Amendment caused several airlines to consider flying 56-passenger jets out of Love Field, including Continental, Delta, and a new airline, Legend. The City of Fort Worth immediately sued the City of Dallas to try to prevent the Shelby Amendment from going into effect. American, headquartered at DFW, joined the lawsuits against Dallas, but also said that if other airlines were allowed to fly out of Love Field, it would have no choice but to offer competing service. In 1998, after a year of legal decisions and appeals, Continental Express became the first major airline other than Southwest to fly out of Love Field since 1974. American began service out of Love Field shortly thereafter, but continued to sue to stop the service. Fort Worth and American Airlines eventually sued the U.S. Department of Transportation to stop allowing more flights out of Love Field.

2000 to 2013

In 2000, several federal appeals court decisions finally struck down all lawsuits against the Shelby Amendment. Fort Worth and American Airlines appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to review the case. These legal decisions opened the door to increased long haul flights out of Love Field using 56-passenger jets, including new service by Delta and Legend. The majority of this 56-passenger jet market was composed of business travelers making day trips to other cities.

In 2001, the September 11, 2001, attacks and the subsequent recession greatly reduced the demand for air travel in the U.S., especially within the business traveler market. As a result, most of the airlines providing long haul 56-passenger flights stopped service and pulled out of Love Field. By 2003, Southwest and Continental Express were the only two major commercial airlines operating out of Love Field. However, due to Southwest's success and the possibility of other airlines returning in the future, the airport has completed an expansion of its parking facilities and is redeveloping one of its terminals.

New parking facilities in a 2,400-space garage opened in 2002 and 2003, connected to the terminal with a climate controlled walkway. The East Concourse, formerly Braniff's "Terminal of the Future," was demolished as part of the Love Field Modernization Program.^[11]

In 2002, Love Field was designated as a Texas State Historical Site in 2003.

The Frontiers of Flight Museum, which had been located inside the airport terminal since 1988, moved to the north side of the airport in a separate facility.

In November 2004, Southwest announced their active opposition to the Wright Amendment, claiming that the law is anti-competitive and outdated. On November 30, 2005, Missouri was added to the list of states exempted from the Wright Amendment by an amendment written by Sen. Kit Bond. Southwest began nonstop flights to Kansas City and St. Louis on December 13. American Airlines and American Eagle began flights from Love to St. Louis, Kansas City, Austin, and San Antonio on March 2, 2006, although American Airlines subsequently pulled out of the market, leaving American Eagle to offer a reduced service to Austin and Kansas City alone. In 2008, American decided to terminate the Austin and Kansas City service and replace it with service to O'Hare International Airport (which Southwest does not serve) using 50-passenger regional jets in compliance with the Wright provisions regarding aircraft size, although American Eagle later stopped service from Love field altogether.

On June 15, 2006, it was announced that American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth had all agreed to seek full repeal of the Wright Amendment, with several conditions. Among them: the ban on nonstop flights outside the Wright zone would stay in place until 2014; through-ticketing to domestic airports (connecting flights to long-haul destinations) would be allowed immediately; Love Field's maximum gate capacity would be lowered from 32 to 20 gates; and Love Field would handle only domestic flights non-stop. Southwest will be able to operate from 16 gates, American 2 gates, and Continental 2 gates. JetBlue and Northwest Airlines claimed that the gate cap will effectively ban any airlines not named in the compromise to ever operate from Love Field, even though the agreement calls for Southwest, American and Continental to share gates with new airlines that desire to serve the airport. The cap of 20 gates would effectively restrict the purpose of the 2014 lifting of the ban on nonstop flights outside the Wright zone.

After extensive negotiations with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the compromise bill passed both Houses of Congress on Friday, September 29, just before the 109th Congress adjourned for the November elections. Kay Bailey Hutchison led the effort to pass the bill in the Senate while Rep. Kay Granger led a bipartisan Texas House coalition to see the bill through to a successful conclusion in the House. President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on October 13, 2006.^[38] Southwest and American Airlines then required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin one-stop flights from Love Field to destinations outside the Wright limits.^[39]

On October 17, 2006, Southwest Airlines announced that it would begin one-stop or connecting service between Love Field and 25 destinations outside the Wright zone on October 19, 2006.^[40] American Airlines made travel between Love Field and locations outside the Wright zone available by October 18, 2006.^[41][42]

In 2008 the airport handled 8,060,792 passengers.^[43]

In early 2009 a plan to modernize Love Field was announced. The $519 million master plan will replace the existing terminals with a new 20-gate concourse and expanded baggage facilities.^[34] The project is scheduled to open when the last of the Wright amendment restrictions end in 2014. The project also called for a $250 million people mover system to connect to Dallas Area Rapid Transit's Burbank Station,^[44] but this was eliminated in favor of a cheaper bus connection to the Inwood Station.^[45]

The airport became embroiled in a controversy over concessions contracts when Dallas mayor Tom Leppert, during a March 3, 2010, City Council meeting, abruptly withdrew support for no-bid contracts with current airport food vendor Star Concessions Ltd. and newspaper and book vendor Hudson Retail Dallas, insisting that the contracts should be opened to public bidding instead. At a February 22, 2010, meeting, the City Council recommended that the existing contracts, set to expire in June 2011, be extended until 2026 with an additional three-year option and exclusive rights to 54 percent of vending space in a new terminal scheduled to open in 2014.^[46] After several abortive attempts to resolve the issue, the City Council voted on August 18, 2010, to open all concessions space in the new terminal for public bidding; city staff would attempt to reach a deal with Star and Hudson to operate existing concessions space from 2011 to 2014, otherwise it would also be opened for public bidding.^[47]

2014 to present

Post Wright Amendment Era

Southwest Airlines added Baltimore, Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington-Reagan and Chicago on October 13, 2014, the day the repeal went into effect. On November 2, 2014, it added new service to Atlanta, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, Phoenix, San Diego, Orange County (CA) and Tampa.^[48] On March 10, 2014, Southwest announced that sometime in 2015, it would add service to Boston, Oakland, Panama City Beach (FL), Portland (OR), and San Jose (CA).^[49]

In order to get its merger with US Airways approved by the Department of Justice, American Airlines was forced to give up its 2 gates at Love Field. As part of the agreement, airlines have officially come out requesting the gates. Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and Virgin America have all said they would like the two gates. In an effort to lower fares, the DOJ announced that Delta would not be a good candidate for the 2 gates because it is not a low cost carrier.^[50] Virgin America's plan is to open a focus city at Love Field, operating 18 flights a day to 5 cities, 2 of which would be cities not already served from Love Field. Southwest's plan for the 2 gates is to add 20 flights to 12 new destinations.

On Monday, September 29, 2014, the city's director of aviation officially announced that the former American Airlines gates would be granted to Virgin America on October 13, 2014, thus denying the gates to Delta.^[51][52] Delta had also attempted to secure an underutilized United Airlines gate, but United assured city officials that its flight schedule would intensify effective January 7, 2015, and that a gate would be shared with Southwest in the interim; this prompted the officials to reject Delta's proposal.^[51] On October 8, 2014, it was announced that Delta had reached an agreement to temporarily share one Southwest gate, allowing Delta to continue service to its Atlanta hub; however, the agreement terminated when Southwest began nonstop service to Oakland and San Francisco on January 6, 2015. Although it was initially unclear whether or how Delta would maintain a Love Field presence after that date,^[53][54] United Airlines subsequently agreed to share one of its gates with Delta until July 6, 2015.^[55]

Following the closure of Terminal 1, SeaPort Airlines began sharing a Virgin America gate for its twice-daily Essential Air Service flights to El Dorado (AR).^[54]

The first flight to operate outside of the Wright Amendment restricted area was Southwest Airlines flight 1013 to Denver. The flight number was also the date that the Wright Amendment came to an end, October 13, 2014.

On Monday, December 8, 2014, city officials announced a plan to add 4,000 parking spaces at Love Field, including the proposed construction of a 5-level parking garage across from Ticket Hall. Despite a 2008 forecast predicting that Love Field would have adequate parking to meet demand through 2018, the airport ran out of parking around midday on Thanksgiving, November 27, 2014, forcing arriving travelers to park off-airport and use other means to reach their flights. The parking shortage is expected to worsen in 2015 as the anticipated number of daily departures increases from 148 to 190.^[56]

Facilities and aircraft

Dallas Love Field covers an area of 1,300 acres (530 ha) at an elevation of 487 feet (148 m) above mean sea level. It has three runways:^[3]

• Runway 13L/31R: 7,752 by 150 feet (2,363 m × 46 m), Surface: Concrete (Built 1943, Extended 1952^[11])
• Runway 13R/31L: 8,800 by 150 feet (2,682 m × 46 m), Surface: Concrete (Built 1965^[24])
• Runway 18/36: 6,147 by 150 feet (1,874 m × 46 m), Surface: Asphalt (Built 1943^[11])

For the 12-month period ending October 31, 2007, the airport had 247,235 aircraft operations, an average of 677 per day: 39% general aviation, 37% scheduled commercial, 23% air taxi and 1% military. At that time there were 693 aircraft based at this airport: 3% single-engine, 4% multi-engine, 93% jet and 1% helicopter.^[3]

The City of Dallas Department of Aviation headquarters is on the grounds of the airport.^[57]

Terminal

Modernization of Love Field's terminals was announced in early 2009. The $519 million master replaces the existing terminal buildings with a single terminal, new 20-gate concourse.

Southwest has preferential leases to 18 gates; Virgin America has preferential leases to 2 gates. Virgin America shares its gates with SeaPort Airlines. These gates are Gates 11 and 13. A temporary gate-sharing agreement between Southwest and Delta and a similar agreement between United and Southwest ended on January 5th and 6th respectively, to allow expansion of the Southwest and United flight schedules.^[54] United and Delta then entered into another agreement, permitting Delta to share one of United's gates until July 6, 2015.^[55]

On January 30, 2015, Southwest Airlines announced they have entered into a sub-lease agreement for United's 2 Love Field gates; United ended service to Love Field on March 15, 2015. Southwest has announced additional flights and cities with the two extra gates.^[58]

Legend terminal

The terminal was built by Legend Airlines and was later used by Legend Airlines and Delta Connection/Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Under the terms of lifting the Wright Amendment, the number of gates at the airport is limited thus effectively precluding use of the terminal for scheduled passenger flights. The gates of the former terminal were demolished and the remaining structure converted into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines offer scheduled passenger service.

Airlines	Destinations
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta
SeaPort Airlines	El Dorado (AR)
Southwest Airlines	Albuquerque, Amarillo, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston (begins August 9, 2015), Birmingham (AL), Charleston (SC), Charlotte (begins August 9, 2015), Chicago-Midway, Columbus (OH), Denver, Detroit (begins August 9, 2015), El Paso, Fort Lauderdale, Houston-Hobby, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Lubbock, Memphis, Midland/Odessa, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, New York-LaGuardia, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha (begins August 9, 2015), Orange County, Orlando, Panama City (FL), Philadelphia (begins August 9, 2015), Phoenix, Pittsburgh (begins August 9, 2015), Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham (begins August 9, 2015), Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City (begins August 9, 2015), San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington-National, Wichita
Virgin America	Austin, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, San Francisco, Washington-National

Previous airline service

Several airlines have served Love Field in the past including: American Airlines, American Freighter, Braniff International Airways, Capital Airlines, Central Airlines, Eastern Air Lines, Legend Airlines, Ozark Air Lines, Saturn Airways, Slick Airways, Southern Air Transport, Trans-Texas Airways, United Airlines and more.

Statistics

Top destinations

Top ten busiest domestic routes out of DAL
(February 2014 - January 2015) ^[59]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Houston (Hobby), TX	638,000	Southwest
2	San Antonio, TX	338,000	Southwest
3	Austin, TX	313,000	Southwest
4	Kansas City, MO	251,000	Southwest
5	St. Louis, MO	245,000	Southwest
6	New Orleans, LA	232,000	Southwest
7	Albuquerque, NM	196,000	Southwest
8	Chicago (Midway), IL	154,000	Southwest
9	Atlanta, Georgia	146,000	Southwest
10	Lubbock, TX	140,000	Southwest

Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at Dallas Love Field, 1996 thru 2014^[60][61][62]

Year	Passengers
2014	9,413,636
2013	8,470,586
2012	8,173,927
2011	7,980,020
2010	7,960,809
2009	7,744,522
2008	8,060,792
2007	7,953,385
2006	6,874,717
2005	5,909,599
2004	5,889,756
2003	5,588,930
2002	5,622,754
2001	6,685,618
2000	7,077,549
1999	6,820,867
1998	6,715,596
1997	6,807,894
1996	7,064,515

Public transit

Currently, DART bus route 524 serves the airport.

The DART Orange Line & Green Line light rail serves the airport at Inwood/Love Field Station, which opened in 2010. Passengers must use the bus from route 524 in order to travel between Love Field and the Inwood/Love Field Station.

Charter Service and FBOs

Love Field is also home to a number of charter flight companies and FBOs including:

• Landmark Aviation
• Business Jet Center (FBO)
• Business Jet Access (Charter)
• Signature Flight Support
• Jet Aviation

Accidents and incidents

• December 23, 1936: A Braniff Airways Lockheed Model 10 Electra airliner, registration number NC-14905, suffered an engine failure during a go-around while conducting a non-scheduled test flight; the pilot tried to turn back towards Love Field but lost control, causing the craft to spin into the northern shore of Bachman Lake. Its six occupants, all Braniff employees, died in the crash and ensuing fire.^[63]
• November 29, 1949: American Airlines Flight 157, a Douglas DC-6, was on final approach to Runway 36 when the flight crew lost control, causing the airliner to slide off the runway and strike a parked airplane, a hangar, and a flight school before crashing into a business across the street from the airport. 26 passengers and two flight attendants died in the crash and ensuing fire; the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, and 15 others survived.
• June 28, 1952: A Temco Swift private plane collided with American Airlines Flight 910, a Douglas DC-6 on final approach to Love Field from San Francisco, California; the DC-6 landed safely with no injuries to the 55 passengers and five crew. Both occupants of the Swift died on impact with the ground.
• May 15, 1953: A Braniff International Airways Douglas DC-4 carrying 48 passengers and five crew slid off the end of Runway 36, crossed Lemmon Avenue, and plowed into an embankment. Despite reportedly heavy automobile traffic on the busy street, no vehicles were struck, and nobody aboard the airliner was seriously injured. The crash was attributed to poor braking action on the rain-slicked runway.^[64]
• July 9, 1953: A Southern Air Transport Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando cargo transport, carrying a crew of two, skidded off the runway and flipped over after a hard landing. The pilot suffered significant injuries; the co-pilot escaped safely.^[65]
• May 14, 1960: The pilot of a Beechcraft Bonanza private plane suffered an apparent heart attack and fell unconscious while en route from Fort Worth to Dallas. The pilot's wife and sole passenger, who was not a trained pilot, managed to guide the Bonanza to Love Field but crashed while attempting to land. Both occupants suffered severe injuries and the pilot was pronounced dead, but it is unclear whether his death resulted from the heart attack or from injuries sustained during the crash.^[66][67]
• September 14, 1960: An airline maintenance inspector lost control of a Braniff International Airways Douglas DC-7 during a taxi test and crashed into a hangar at high speed. The inspector died and five of the six mechanics aboard were injured.^[68]
• April 18, 1962: A Douglas DC-3 operated by an aviation company affiliated with Purdue University, registration number N3588, crashed immediately after taking off to test a newly installed engine. The craft exploded into flames, killing all three people aboard.^[69][70] The crash was attributed to insufficient airspeed at takeoff, and the National Transportation Safety Board noted that the pilot was not properly qualified to fly a DC-3.^[71]
• April 19, 1963: A Beechcraft Bonanza private plane crashed short of the runway on final approach, killing both occupants.^[72]
• January 29, 1966: A Piper Cherokee Six air taxi, registration number N3246W, suffered an engine failure on final approach to Love Field and struck trees while the pilot was attempting an emergency landing on a nearby street.^[73] The pilot and five passengers were injured; the engine failure was attributed to carburetor icing.^[74]
• February 10, 1967: A Beechcraft D18S, registration number N7388, crashed at Love Field after a propeller blade separated during takeoff; the pilot and both passengers died.^[75]
• September 27, 1967: All seven occupants of an Aero Commander 560E, registration number N3831C, died after the left-hand wing broke during the landing approach, sending the plane plummeting into Mockingbird Lane in Highland Park, Texas. Wreckage tore through the playground of Bradfield Elementary School. The school was not in session and nobody on the ground was seriously harmed.^[76]
• September 29, 1970: After a scheduled flight from Denver, Colorado, the landing gear of a Braniff International Airways Boeing 720, registration number N7080, collapsed during landing. The automatic gear extension mechanism had failed in flight and the flight crew manually lowered the gear but neglected to lock it in the "Down" position. The airliner slid to a halt on the runway, suffering significant damage. There were no injuries to the 47 passengers and seven crew.^[77][78]
• June 7, 1971: A Dallas Police Department Bell 47G-5 helicopter, registration number N2022W, was destroyed when heavy winds blew the craft into an airfield fence during landing; the observer suffered minor injuries and the pilot escaped safely.^[79][80]
• December 26, 1973: The pilot of a Tricon International Airlines Beechcraft C-45H cargo transport, registration number N118X, lost control while circling Love Field for a precautionary landing after being unable to raise the landing gear during takeoff. The C-45 struck two houses southeast of the airport, killing the pilot and injuring a person on the ground. The crash was attributed to insufficient airspeed and improper loading.^[81][82]
• April 18, 1975: A Cessna 310F, registration number N5818X, ran off the end of the runway, struck a fence, and burned after losing engine power during takeoff. The craft's two occupants, a student pilot and flight instructor, escaped with minor injuries. The crash was attributed to fuel starvation: the student pilot had mishandled the fuel control valve (known as the fuel selector) and taken off with the fuel tanks disconnected from the engines.^[83][84]
• June 8, 1976: The pilot of a Cessna 175, registration number N9259B, executed an emergency landing on nearby Mockingbird Lane soon after takeoff from Love Field, striking a telephone pole and a moving automobile. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but there were no serious injuries to the aircraft's four occupants or to the driver of the car. The crash was attributed to insufficient airspeed and overloading.^[85][86]
• January 27, 2000: After its tailplane deicing system failed during the landing approach, a Misubishi MU-300 business jet, registration number N900WJ, touched down on Runway 31R at higher-than-normal speed as recommended for such a situation. When it became evident that the aircraft was going to overrun the runway due to the high speed and poor braking action on the slush-covered pavement, the pilot purposely steered the jet into an embankment to avoid striking light poles past the far end of the runway. There were no injuries to the four passengers or two crew, but the aircraft was written off.^[87][88]

See also

• List of Training Section Air Service airfields

References

Notes

Citations

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dallas Love Field.

• Dallas Love Field (official site)
• DFW Tower.com
• Friends of Love Field
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective April 30, 2015

Airfields in Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington International Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Regional Dallas Love (DAL) Municipal Addison (ADS) Arlington (GKY) Dallas Executive (RBD) Decatur (LUD) Denton (DTO) Fort Worth Alliance (AFS) Fort Worth Meacham (FTW) Fort Worth Spinks (FWS) Garland/DFW Heloplex (T57) Grand Prairie (GPM) Lancaster (LNC) Majors [Greenville] (GVT) McKinney (TKI) Mesquite (HQZ) Mid-Way [Midlothian–Waxahachie] (JWY) Mineral Wells (MWL) Terrell (TRL) Military NAS Forth Worth JRB (Carswell Field) Grand Prairie AFRC Privately owned Airpark East (1F7) Air Park–Dallas (F69) Bourland (50F) Copeland (4T2) Flying C (T87) Hicks Airfield (T67) Ironhead (T58) Lakeview (30F) Lane (58F) Northwest Regional (52F) Phillips Flying Ranch (T48) Sycamore Strip (9F9) Defunct and Historic Camp Taliaferro Field #1–Hicks Field #2–Barron Field #3–Benbrook Greater Southwest / Amon Carter (GSW) Saginaw (F04)

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