Dallas: Not so fast on those Love Field gates

It appears that there'll be no quick solution about who will get the two gates American Airlines must give up at Dallas Love Field.

American agreed to give up the gates in a deal with the Justice Department that cleared the way for the airline to merge with US Airways. Southwest and Delta also want access to the gates.

The scramble seemed to be nearing an end on Friday (April 25) when it was revealed that the Justice Department apparently advised American it saw only one suitable candidate — Virgin America — for those Love Field gates.

But the city of Dallas, which owns the airport, is sticking to its own schedule on evaluating which airline should get the gates. The Dallas Morning News reports the Dallas City Council's transportation committee on Monday decided "to kick the controversy up to a full council briefing" after a closed-door meeting.

Adding to the mix: Dallas also commissioned a study from an aviation consultancy, which on Monday recommend the gates go to Southwest. Southwest already controls 16 of the 20 gates at Love Field. Virgin America, as you might expect, says the study's findings are flawed. Delta advocates returning the gates to the city so to be used as "common use" gates for whichever airlines Dallas sees fit.

The Morning News says the matter now likely will be taken by the City Council at a May 7 meeting.

"We, the city, have not actively solicited interest in the gates from any airline," Dallas aviation director Mark Duebner told the council committee, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Duebner says Dallas thought it would have more of a say in who would get the gates.

Instead, Virgin America on Friday announced it had a deal with American to sublease the gates, a deal that seems to be the only one the Justice Department intends to endorse.

What will be next is unclear, with WFAA TV of Dallas saying "it's not known where Council members stand" on the fate of the gates.

But at least one City Council member tells the Morning News he thinks the city should not get involved.

Philip Kingston, a Dallas City Council member who is not on the council's transportation committee, tells the Morning News: "The lease is incredibly clear. American has the right to assign or sublease, subject only to our consent, which shall not unreasonably be withheld or delayed."

Kingston tells the Morning News that to favor an airline other than Virgin America, "we would have to figure out how to make the argument that it is reasonable to withhold the gates from Virgin."

Kingston called that "a loser of an argument," adding to the Morning News it could open the city to legal action.

Stay tuned …