Southwest Airlines plans four daily round trips between Las Vegas, Dallas

Southwest Airlines will have four daily nonstop round trips between Las Vegas and Dallas by early November as the airline takes advantage of restrictions of the Wright Amendment coming to an end.

The Dallas-based airline on Monday announced its flight schedule through Jan. 4 and it includes three daily nonstop round trips between McCarran International Airport and Dallas’ Love Field beginning Oct. 13 with a fourth flight being added Nov. 2. Southwest also will inaugurate a daily nonstop round trip between Las Vegas and Washington’s Dulles International Airport on Nov. 2.

Dallas is Las Vegas’ No. 6 domestic market, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Love Field, the location of Southwest’s corporate headquarters, is six miles from downtown Dallas.

Southwest is introducing its route with $99 one-way fares. The introductory fares are expected to be available through Friday.

Flights will be spread throughout the day with departures at 8:20 and 11:55 a.m., and 2:55 and 5 p.m. Arrivals from Dallas are at 7:35 and 11:20 a.m., and 3:55 and 8:50 p.m.

Since the Wright Amendment’s enactment in 1979, flights on planes holding 56 passengers or more were restricted from flying nonstop routes outside Texas and its adjacent states. The amendment was designed to encourage growth at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

In 2006, a compromise was reached to lift the amendment’s restrictions, allowing Southwest and other carriers the ability to fly nonstop beyond the affected states beginning Oct. 13.

Southwest had promised nonstop routes to Las Vegas, but hadn’t indicated how many daily departures were planned.

Aviation analysts have said Southwest’s ticket pricing could result in a reduction of fares to and from Dallas on other carriers, including those from Dallas-Fort Worth International.

American Airlines and US Airways, which are in the process of merging, and deep discounter Spirit Airlines currently fly nonstop between Las Vegas and Dallas-Fort Worth International.

The lowest nonstop round-trip fares offered on the route is $168 on Spirit Airlines. American and US Airways have prices ranging from $344 to $464 round trip, according to the Orbitz.com website.

Spirit is a discount carrier with a la carte pricing that requires passengers to pay fees for bags, some carry-on items, seat selection and other amenities.

The new Washington service is being boosted with $169 one-way introductory fares offered through Sunday for a limited number of flights between Nov. 2 and Dec. 17. Southwest will compete on the route with United Airlines, which has two daily flights.

Southwest’s winter schedule changes will result in a net increase of five daily flights for Las Vegas. In addition to the four Dallas flights and the new Washington route, the airline will add a daily nonstop round trip to Los Angeles International Airport for 12 a day and a daily nonstop to and from Baltimore in December for four a day.

Southwest will reduce its schedule for Albuquerque, N.M., from five daily flights to four and for El Paso, Texas, from three daily flights to two.

When the schedule is fully implemented, Southwest will have 212 daily flights to 59 destinations from McCarran, the largest presence of any airline at the airport.

Las Vegas is the second busiest destination for Southwest by number of flights behind Chicago’s Midway Airport.

Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow him on Twitter @RickVelotta.