The Wright Amendment: Time for Repeal: A Policy Issue Note

Abstract

In this article, the authors discuss why they think that it is time to repeal the Wright Amendment, which limits carriers from serving the vast majority of the nation's airline passengers from Love Field in Dallas, Teas. The authors discuss the Wright Amendment because the issues raised in this case also can inform discussion of two other regulations that they argue are outmoded, the three of which cost airline travelers on the order of $1 billion annually. The other two regulations are the perimeter rules, which prohibit carriers from offering most flights that exceed 1,500 miles to or from LaGuardia Airport in New York, and those that exceed 1,250 miles to or from Washington's National Airport. The third is the rule that limits the number of takeoffs and landings at LaGuardia, Kennedy, National, and Chicago's O'Hare. They give a history of the Wright Amendment, which in recent years has been attacked legislatively and by Southwest Airlines, the prime target of the rule. They analyze the pros and cons as put for by proponents and opponents and conclude that the arguments for repeal outweigh those for keeping it in place.