Love Field: The 21st Century

Love Field: The 21st Century. . , March 2003 - Garage B, built adjacent to the existing Garage A, opens with 4,000 spaces, bringing the airport's total garage parking spaces to 7,000., November 2004 - Southwest Airlines announces a campaign to repeal the Wright Amendment, resulting in aggressive media campaigns from both sides of the issue. At the urging of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, the two sides begin negotiations in early 2006 to settle the matter in lieu of a congressional mandate., June 2006 - The parties involved in the Wright Amendment repeal negotiations - Southwest Airlines, the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, American Airlines, and DFW International Airport - reach a compromise agreement. Representatives from the five parties sign the agreement in a ceremony at DFW Airport's Grand Hyatt Hotel on June 15. As a part of the compromise, Love Field will be limited to 20 passenger gates and non-stop international flights will be prohibited., October 13, 2006 - President George W. Bush signs the Wright Amendment Reform Act into law. Airlines at Love Field can immediately sell one-stop tickets to destinations beyond the Wright Amendment states, and the restriction on non-stop flights outside those states will expire in eight years., 2009 - The City of Dallas and Southwest Airlines enter into a public-private partnership with the multi-year Love Field Modernization Program in anticipation of a surge in airline operations as the Wright Amendment restrictions are scheduled to expire. Projects include a major renovation of the 1958 terminal building and a new ticketing hall, baggage claim, and 20-gate passenger concourse, as well as improvements to runways, taxiways, and other airfield facilities., 2014 - 2015 - The end of the Wright Amendment restrictions on non-stop flights results in an extraordinary increase in flight operations and passenger traffic, mostly by Southwest Airlines, with the airport experiencing over 7 million passenger enplanements in 2015., June 13, 2011 - the Dallas City Council votes to rename the portion of Cedar Springs Road north of Mockingbird Lane into the airport "Herb Kelleher Way" after the well-known Southwest Airlines co-founder., November 1, 2018 - Parking Garage C opens, adding over 5,000 spaces to bring Love Field's total number of city-owned parking spaces to more than 12,000., 2022-2024 - Major reconstruction on both runways is completed while work progresses on realigning the taxiway system between the runways to improve both safety and operational considerations.