Thursday, February 09, 2006

Wright is Wrong: Congress may be looking to get rid of the Wright Amendment, finally.

Those of you not from Dallas may not realize what a crappy law the Wright Amendment is. It limits flight out of Love Field, the smaller of the two airports in Dallas, to a few selected states. Its purpose was to help DFW International Airport get off the ground.

That was 1979. DFW is doing just fine, and the law has outlived its usefulness.

I grew up in Dallas, so I fly there often to visit my friends and family. Limiting the flights raises airline prices significantly by cutting competition. The airline that benefits the most is American Airlines, at the expense of Southwest Airlines.

But this is more than just a local issue. Dallas is a major hub, and increasing the prices anywhere hurts flyers everywhere. American Airlines is funding a major ad campaign to keep the restrictions in place. We can't let them succeed.