Delta Air Lines is threatening to sue the city of Dallas because it will no longer be able to operate flights out of Dallas Love Field after October 12.
Delta, which has flown from the airport since 2008 using gate space leased from American Airlines, was told by the city on Monday that it would no longer have room for its flights. The problem stems from the fact that American gave up its gates at the city-owned airport as part of its settlement with the Department of Justice that cleared the way for it to merge with US Airways late last year.
On Thursday, Delta’s attorneys told the city it will sue unless it takes “immediate action to implement a short-term solution” that would enable Delta to fly out of Love Field after October 12.
The story was first reported in the Dallas Morning News.
Dallas Love Field currently has 20 gates, 16 of which are controlled by Southwest. Starting October 13, Virgin America will take over the two controlled by American. The remaining two are being leased by United Airlines, which currently subleases one to Southwest. United said it plans to start using the second gate itself in 2015.
Delta was under the impression, according to its lawyer Kenneth Quinn, that the city “had notified United by letter that it must accommodate Delta on its gates.” United, in turn, subleased one of its two gates to Southwest instead, according to the Dallas Morning News story.
Quinn went on to say that United is going to “triple its ground times in an effort to preclude Delta from using its gates.”
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