City Of Dallas Drawn Into Gate Fight At Love Field, Files Lawsuit
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DALLAS (CBSDFW/AP) - The City of Dallas is squeezed between competing legal claims over gate use at Love Field, so the city is asking a Federal Court to decide the issue.
Under a federal law that stood for more than 30 years, airlines at Love Field could only fly to other places in Texas or a few nearby states unless they used very small planes. Those limits expired in October, setting off a land rush by airlines.
The city filed a lawsuit this week against two federal agencies and six airlines.
Southwest Airlines already controls 18 of the 20 gates and wants Delta out of a Love Field gate by the first week in July. Delta wants to add eight new flights to more destinations.
The Transportation Department says Delta can't be kicked out of the gate.
The city is now suing the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, Delta, Southwest, Virgin America, American Airlines, United Airlines and Seaport Airlines. The city said threats from regulators and airlines "have put the City in an impossible situation" that only the federal court can resolve.
A spokesman for Delta, based in Atlanta, said Thursday that federal officials have confirmed Delta's right to stay at Love Field indefinitely. A spokesman for Southwest, which is headquartered next to the Dallas airport, said it welcomed the chance to have its day in court.
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