05/30/05  Love Field -- Eliminate Wright Amendment

Hey... Congressman Barton, et al

Get off the crazy idea of hurting Southwest Airlines and our citizens of Dallas (and other places).. DFW FARES are TOO HIGH.   I pay over $100 Dollars more to fly out of DFW to Providence than out of Austin or  Houston.  I have been in the Airline support business for over twenty-five years.  

You are on the WRONG side of this argument.  Leave Dallas ALONE. 

Watch the Dallas cash flow when Love is closed to commercial aviation and Southwest moves their headquarters to a more friendly city. 

DFW does not even have a workable mass transit system from Dallas, and Super Shuttle just does not cut it.  The DFW Board and their new looping train forgot one major point -- the train is in the SECURE AREA.  Riders MUST have a TICKET to get on it.  If not, then "all aboard" the bus to the next terminal, drive your car or take a cab.  If you leave one terminal and return to another (like leave on AA and return on Continental), enjoy the bus ride to find your vehicle at another terminal. 

I was with Boeing during the early " 70's" when the terminals at DFW opened.  I spent around two years in the Braniff and AA operations centers trying to help keep things working.  They are now attempting to do 30 minute transfers between terminals when the baggage and people cannot always handle the time restraints.  Result (and they will tell you) is missed connections. 

There is a LOT of mismanagement at DFW, and the cash flow there is about to present a gigantic problem to the total operation, Ft. Worth and Dallas.

As for noise, I used to live on West Beverly around Lemon.  I realize the noise is BAD.  However, Love has been in place since the 50's. 

I fly to  Austin or Houston, transfer and save around $150 per person every time I do so.  I'm leaving for Providence in three weeks and have the problem AGAIN. 

DFW transport, parking, security lines, takeoff/landing delays are atrocious.  I imagine that DFW will HAVE to raise landing fees, taxes, parking, concession prices, cab tolls, etc. to stay operational.  That will discourage conventions to Dallas, and other business transactions. 

If Southwest moves its headquarters out of town, Dallas will be crying again for more residential property taxes. 

Rad Field
District 11, Northeast Dallas

Editor's comments:  I live due north of the airport and the noise now prevents you from enjoying
the outdoors.  When the noise is loud enough to make me look up (often), it is always a SW plane blasting in or out -- not a private plane like the SW PR people claim.

I lived in Oak Lawn South of the airport for almost 30 years, and it was just awful.

There is so much new development and thousands more residents north and south of the airport.  Their (and my) right to peaceful enjoyment of their homes outweighs any promised savings to someone else.