Southwest Airlines will not waste any time with the lifting of restrictions on long-haul service at Dallas Love Field on Oct. 13.
The airline is going big out of Dallas, introducing nonstop service to 15 destinations in the fall: five on Oct. 13 and 10 more on Nov. 2.
On Oct. 13, Southwest will begin flying from Dallas Love to Baltimore/Washington, Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando and Chicago Midway.
On Nov. 2, the airline will start service to Atlanta, Nashville, Washington Reagan National, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia, Phoenix, San Diego, Tampa and Orange County, Calif.
In May, the airline will announce frequencies and fares.
The liberation of Love Field opens the Dallas market to unprecedented competition, as Southwest challenges American Airlines’ longtime dominance at Dallas/Fort Worth.
Since 1979, a federal law known as the Wright Amendment has limited nonstop service from Dallas Love Field to Texas and nearby states.
In 2006, the federal government altered the Wright Amendment, allowing connecting and through service from Love to any city, via one of the nine states where nonstop service from Love was permitted.
At the time, it was agreed that all nonstop restrictions would be lifted in October 2014.
In a statement, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said, "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.”