Legend Airlines, a new business-traveller oriented airline, has been cleared for take-off by a US Circuit Court of Appeals after a two-year wrangle over its plan to operate from restricted Dallas Love Field.
The carrier's services, which will bring long-haul scheduled flights to Love Field for the first time in 25 years, had been opposed by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW); American Airlines, and by the city of Fort Worth.
Legend will operate leased McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s configured to seat 56 passengers in first-class accommodation, with enough baggage storage for a four-bag carry-on policy. The airline is to operate from six gates in a new executive terminal with a full-service business centre.
The airline has five fare levels, ranging from the highest unrestricted walk-up fare to slightly lower, still unrestricted three-day and seven-day advance fares, to more restricted, but much lower 14- and 21-day advance purchase fares.
Legend is starting off with five daily round-trip flights to Los Angeles and four daily round-trip flights to Washington DC and on 9 March plans to begin a single round-trip flight to Las Vegas. It expects to have five DC-9s in its fleet by the end of March to be used for more frequencies and new destinations.
With the court's go-ahead to Legend, American announced it would also start service at Love Field. On 1 May, American plans four daily roundtrips to Los Angeles and five to Chicago using 97-seat Fokker 100 jets with 41 seats removed. In addition, Continental Express says it will begin service to its Cleveland hub with 50-seat Embraer RJ-145 regional jets.
The 56-passenger capacity limitation, intended to protect then-fledgling DFW, was included as an amendment in the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and applies on all long-haul flights from Love Field, the closest airport to downtown Dallas. The main tenant of Love Field is low-fare Southwest Airlines, with 140 shorter-haul flights a day.
Source: Airline Business
