Points, Miles, Martinis reader Steven shares with us his recent experience flying back from Atlanta to Dallas Love Field on Delta Air Lines this week.Â
Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines have been in a brawl as Delta and Southwest Continue to Flight Over Dallas Love Field over the use of Gate 15.
Delta 2445 landed at 6:01pm, however didn’t arrive to the gate till 7:15pm.
While on my recent Delta flight from Atlanta to Dallas, we landed at 6:01pm, however sat on the tarmac for over an hour due to not having a gate. There was a Southwest Airlines flight at the gate that needed to depart first as the airlines share Gate 15 at Love Field. We finally arrived in at 7:15pm, causing over an hour delay as well as delaying the outbound flight back to Atlanta.
The pilots kept apologizing for not having a gate, but ultimately it wasn’t up to them as it was a Southwest Airlines flight that had to depart first, before we would be allowed to get into the gate.
It makes me wonder if this has happened before it the past here as Southwest operates between 5-10 flights a day from Gate 15, which is the only gate that Delta is allowed to use at Dallas Love Field.
Has anyone else experienced a lengthy delay before when flying Delta into Dallas Love Field before? Feel free to share your comments in the section below.Â
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Why can’t they borrow another gate?? This happens at SFO waited 55 minutes for a gate and another time for ground crew!!!! There were plenty of empty gates for us to use and the other time there were ground crews waiting for no one at other gates!!! Cross training would help!!!!!!!
The real issue here is DL squatting on a gate for which they have or at least had no lease for. Fair and open competition is one thing but the issue at LUV is one of contract law and DL should’ve been barred from operating. So Dotti, to answer your question, WN has a lease for 18 gates at LUV out of the 20 at the airport and there’s no way in hell theyre just going to let DL use one. I’m sure their ops folks were cracking up at the idea of DL getting stuck waiting. The issue in SFO is similar as airlines pay to lease gates at most airports unless they’re common use gates and depending on what type of plane you were on, not all aircraft can be accommodated at all gates due to size (either too big or too small).
On-time %s for the DL flights to/from DAL can be in the 50%’s – I imagine part of that has to be the skeleton crew DL has at DAL, and the part-time gate usage.
Federal law trumps “contract law” and federal aviation law is very clear: the airport is required to make room for Delta if Delta wants to fly to the airport. Southwest knew that when they paid UACO a kings ransom for those gates. That’s why Southwest hasn’t been able to win in court. This game playing is just sour grapes by Southwest.