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Flashback Fridays: Reforming Wright, One Step at a Time

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Employee
Employee
Between the time the Wright Amendment was signed into law by President Carter in February 1980 and another Federal law in 2006 finally set in play the freedoms we will begin to enjoy on Monday, 56 additional dots joined our route map, but a Customer traveling to or from Love Field was not allowed to buy a single ticket to the majority of our new destinations.  And although we were prohibited from recommending this, some elected to buy multiple tickets connecting in one of the permissible states, even if that stop would mean getting right back on the same airplane they just got off after they rechecked their bags.  Thankfully, that nuisance ended on October 19, 2006, when the first step in repealing the Wright Amendment went into effect.

Signing of S. 3728, the North Korea Nonproliferation Act of 2006. Oval.

The President signed the Wright Amendment Reform Act of 2006 into law from the Oval Office on Friday, October 13, 2006.  And on the following Monday, the FAA announced that changes to our operations would not harm the Safety of the skies over North Texas.  Following a complex logistical effort on the part of many Teams within our Company, our systems were quickly updated to allow for new fares to be filed on Tuesday, October 17.  Two days later, 25 new destinations to and from Love Field went on sale that had been illegal to offer for the previous quarter century.  Later that morning, Flight 2261 was able to take reporter Suzanna Marta from Love Field to Las Vegas on the same LUV jet, including a quick visit to San Antonio, of course.

Route Map

While it seems rather absurd to many of us today that it was as challenging to get from Dallas to places like Orlando or Denver for so long, the initial portions of the law that will allow flight 1013 to depart for the Mile-High City on Monday morning were first appreciated by Employees and Customers alike eight years ago.