Future at Love Uncertain for Small Community Airlines

A small Dallas airline that's been trying to get its certification to fly since 2002 is aiming to be operational by the end of the year.

The problem is that with the new Wright Amendment legislation, Small Community Airlines doesn't know how it will get a gate to fly from its home base at Dallas Love Field.

Lewis McPherson, the airline's owner and president, said he's worried that his 19-seat jets won't have a place to load and unload passengers from because he requires "hard stands," which only allow passengers to get off the plane outside and walk along the apron to get to the terminal.

He believes his tiny airline, which wants to start out with $99 to $149 one-way fares from Dallas to Lake Charles, La., could be one of the first test cases for how the new Wright Amendment legislation deals with potential new entrants.

The Wright Amendment compromise, which was announced June 15 by the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas, American and Southwest airlines, and Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, calls for the capacity at Love Field to be trimmed to 20 gates from 32.

Initially, Southwest would have 15 gates, American would have three and ExpressJet, the regional airline for Continental Airlines, would have two. That would mean any new carriers would have to negotiate with an existing airline for gate space.

The compromise also calls for no hard stands.

Terry Mitchell, assistant director of aviation at Dallas Love Field, said the city is going to have to talk about what exactly that means.

"I think our attorneys want to take a look at this first to see if there's any wiggle room," Mitchell said.

The airport defines a gate as having one parking spot, one jet bridge connected to the terminal and one airport lounge holding a set of departing passengers.

That leaves no extra room for a small commuter plane to unload its passengers away from the terminal and bus them into the gate, for example.

McPherson has a meeting with Love Field officials scheduled for Thursday to talk about how he might be accommodated.

Officials for American and Southwest have said they'd be glad to talk with McPherson about when he might be able to share any of their gates.

However, Tim Wagner, an American spokesman, said the Federal Aviation Administration needs to certify the small airline first.

"If a real airline comes to us seeking accommodation for new flights, we would begin by asking them to provide their schedule so we could determine if they could be accommodated without conflicting with our schedule," Wagner said. It's the city's job to find space for new airlines if American doesn't have room, he said.

Therein lies the problem, McPherson said.

"The gate sharing is really a ruse," he said. "It is a very anti-competitive thing. ... The problem is no one is going to give up the peak time."

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