Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) plans to add 18 daily nonstop flights to five destinations from Dallas Love Field in October 2014.
According to the airline, Delta’s planned expansion will enhance competition at the airport with new nonstop service to New York-LaGuardia, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Delta also will add two daily flights to its existing Atlanta service.
Delta will require access to gates at Love Field in order to operate its expanded schedule. Delta has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to allow it to bid on Love Field gates as part of the divestiture of airport assets under a proposed settlement agreement with American Airlines and US Airways.
Currently at Love Field, 16 of the 20 gates and more than 95 percent of available seats are controlled by one airline, Southwest Airlines, which transports more passengers in the U.S. than any other carrier. Love Field has one of the highest concentrations of operations controlled by a single airline among the nation’s large airports.
The expanded Love Field service builds on Delta’s recent growth at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where it currently operates 45 peak-day flights to eight destinations. Last year, Delta added new nonstop service between DFW and New York-LaGuardia. It also operates nonstop flights from DFW to Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Memphis and New York-JFK.
When the expansion is complete, Delta would operate a total of 68 daily flights in the Dallas/Fort Worth region, including flights at both DFW and Love Field.
Delta’s expansion will be implemented following changes to the Wright Amendment, which previously restricted Love Field service to Texas, adjacent states and Missouri, Alabama, Kansas and Mississippi. Those restrictions are scheduled to end in October 2014.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-732 N302DQ (msn 29648) prepares to land at Dulles International Airport near Washington.
Delta Air Lines: 
Filed under: Delta Air Lines Tagged: 29648, 737, 737-700, 737-732, Boeing, Boeing 737, Boeing 737-700, Delta Air Lines, Dulles, IAD, N302DQ, Washington
