{
  "id": "RL32984",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32984",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 309730,
      "date": "2005-11-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:27:59.984029",
      "title": "Dallas Love Field: The Wright and Shelby Amendments",
      "summary": "The history of the Wright Amendment dates back to the 1960s when the now defunct Civil\nAeronautics Board (CAB) proposed the creation of a single regional airport in the Dallas-Fort Worth\n(DFW) area. To construct the new airport, the two cities entered into an agreement that required the\nphasing out of separate existing airports in Dallas and Ft. Worth and transferring air service to the\nnew DFW Airport, which opened in 1974. During this time, Southwest Airlines began operating out\nof Dallas\u2019s Love Field as a purely intrastate air carrier. As such, Southwest was not subject\nto CAB\nregulation. Congress\u2019s subsequent passage of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, resulted\nin\nSouthwest being allowed to operate interstate flights from Love Field, and prompted concerns from\nmany local officials about DFW\u2019s financial stability. \n \n The Wright Amendment represents a compromise that was designed to protect the interests of\nboth DFW Airport and Southwest Airlines. The Wright Amendment contains a general prohibition\non interstate commercial aviation to or from Love Field subject to exceptions that permits\nSouthwest\u2019s continued operations in a regional four state market. In addition, the Shelby\nAmendment, enacted in 1997, further expands the scope of the regional market to three additional\nstates, but nevertheless retains the basic compromise and structure of the original Wright\nAmendment. The language of the Wright Amendment has been the focus of several administrative\ninterpretations by the Department of Transportation, as well as litigation at both at the state and\nfederal level. Each court decision to date has affirmed the DOT\u2019s interpretation of the Wright\nAmendment. \n \n The newest iteration of this long running issue is primarily the result of events that have\noccurred since the Fall of 2004. First, Delta Airlines decided in October 2004 to pull most of its\nservice out of Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW). Next, DFW asked Southwest Airlines\nto consider operating long distance flights out of DFW. Southwest rejected the DFW offer and\ninstead announced in November 2004 that it intended to seek legislative relief from the\nWright/Shelby Amendments. This announcement ended what was regarded as a long standing truce\non this issue. In the period since November, DFW, joined by other parties such as American\nAirlines, have lobbied in favor of retaining the existing Wright/Shelby restrictions on airline\noperations at Love Field. Southwest, and others, have, at the same time, presented their own\narguments as to why these restrictions should be removed. \n \n The DFW arguments are primarily couched in the politics, legalities, and history of the regional\ncompact that created the airport. The rationales for retaining the Amendments are primarily of local\ninterest and origin, e.g. protecting investments and markets at DFW. The rationale for removing the\nrestrictions is the rationale for deregulation in the first place, the unrestricted flow of air commerce.\nA question for policymakers then is should the exceptions to deregulation that are the Wright/Shelby\nAmendments be retained in the context of the existing national aviation system? Legislation\naffecting the Wright/Shelby restrictions has been introduced in the 109th Congress;  H.R. 2932 ,  H.R. 2646 ,  H.R. 3058 ,  H.R. 3383 ,  S. 1424 ,\nand  S. 1425 . This report will be updated as warranted by events.",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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}