Flying to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is still on Southwest’s radar as it continues to face constraints at its Dallas Love Field home.
During an event in Dallas last week, the carrier’s CEO, Bob Jordan, said, “It is not if, it’s when we will be at DFW,” the Dallas Business Journal reported. Jordan first shared the airline’s plans to serve Dallas/Fort Worth in late 2023 with a “modest” number of gates planned.
Southwest’s interest in serving Dallas/Fort Worth marks a major shift driven not only by gate limits but also by regulatory and infrastructure barriers at Dallas Love Field. When DFW opened in 1974, Southwest chose to remain at Love Field, sparking years of political and legal battles that culminated in the 1979 Wright Amendment.
With its corporate headquarters located next door, Love Field has long been a staple of Southwest’s legacy. Its first flight took place on June 18, 1971, originating from Love Field to Houston Hobby Airport and San Antonio International Airport.
Though the law’s flight restrictions were fully repealed in 2014, its legacy remains embedded in subsequent agreements that restrict Love Field’s size and capabilities. The 2006 Five-Party Agreement, signed by the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, DFW Airport, Southwest, and American Airlines, capped Love Field at 20 gates and formally designated DFW as the region’s primary airport for international service.
Love Field was designed primarily for short-haul domestic operations and does not include federal customs and immigration facilities. As part of the 2006 agreement, Dallas pledged not to pursue the construction of a federal inspection station at Love Field — effectively barring any airline, including Southwest, from operating international flights.
For Southwest, these restrictions mean its Dallas base cannot support the type of international growth seen in Houston, Phoenix, or other key markets. The carrier operates at maximum gate capacity at Love Field and cannot expand or diversify its route map without breaching the 2006 agreement.
‘A Certain Mission’
With interest in flying internationally, Jordan reiterated that the carrier is still looking for a few gates at DFW. These would “fulfill a certain mission,” he said, with somewhere between 5-to-10 gates planned.
Jordan did not give a specific timeline for Southwest’s plans at DFW, saying the airline has “a lot of priorities.” The airline’s DFW service could still be several years away, he added.
“It’s something that’s been moved out a few years in terms of a priority,” Jordan stated.
