DALLAS -- Passengers were caught in the middle of an airport showdown Thursday night at Love Field, when they were left stranded on the tarmac for nearly an hour.
“I heard a lot of people swearing, texting speaking loudly on their phones about the service,” said passenger Patricia Comings.
Delta flight 1832’s pilot was very vocal about the reason for the delay, Comings said. “He advised us that Southwest owned the gate, that one of their planes was at the gate, and it was not pushing back,” said Comings.
Delta said the flight arrived about 20 minutes early, at 10:06, while Southwest’s flight at the gate was delayed for take-off, creating a delay for passengers waiting to land.
“That part was the most obnoxious part. You're strapped in your seat, and you can't move. You can't have water or go to the restroom,” said Comings.
Delta can use only gate 15 at Love Field, where it operates five flights daily through Atlanta.
Gates are precious at Dallas Love Field. The Wright Amendment restricts the airport from having more than 20 gates. Southwest leases 18 of them, including gate 15.
In 2014, Southwest paid millions to lease two of those gates, including gate 15. It has been fighting to kick Delta out ever since. Delta argues it should be able to stay to maintain competition at Love Field. Southwest argues there is plenty of competition in the market, because the market includes both Love Field and DFW International.
Southwest wants full use of the gate, and said if Delta wants to stay at Love Field, it should consider using other gates that may have less air traffic.
They have been battling it out in federal court for years, with a trial set for February. “I couldn't believe you could look out over the field and see so many gates that we could go into, and we were only allowed to go into that one gate,” said Comings.
The City of Dallas owns Love Field, and filed the federal suit. It recently suggested a solution, which would require airlines to reapply every three years if they are accommodated on gates they don’t lease.
Neither Delta or Southwest are satisfied with that solution.
Comings said when her plane finally reached the gate, the pilot shook everyone’s hand and apologized.
“He did remark that this was the worst service he had ever seen,” said Coming.
“Southwest’s operations to and from Dallas Love Field on Thursday evening were routine with normal aircraft wait times. This situation illustrates, particularly in the summer storm season, why it is so critical for Southwest to have the access and ability to fully utilize our gates at Dallas Love Field and avoid undesirable travel experiences for our customers and the traveling public,” said Southwest spokeswoman Michelle Agnew.
“The flight crew kept customers informed and apologized for the delay. While this episode appears to be unrelated to the ongoing court proceedings about Love Field access, Delta in a court filing this week said that the latest accommodation proposal by the City of Dallas is discriminatory, ultimately anti-competitive and seeks to revoke Delta’s access through arbitrary parameters. Delta will continue to vigorously defend our right to serve Dallas Love Field and bring competition and choice to our Dallas customers,” said Delta spokesman Morgan Durant.