When Southwest Airlines launched they took advantage of two loopholes.
- They could fly where they wanted and charge what they wanted – as long as they stayed within the State of Texas. That kept federal regulators, who used to set routes and prices, out of their business.
- They could use Dallas Love Field which is close to downtown Dallas. The airport was going to be closed to commercial aviation. All of the existing airlines agreed to move to DFW. But Southwest wasn’t an existing airline and hadn’t agreed! Other airlines sued to stop them, but Southwest prevailed.
Southwest offered convenient, friendly and cheap service between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio – short trips that made more sense by car for businesses in downtown Dallas if they had to schlepp to and from DFW.
DFW Airport
Eventually, the spunky upstart became the incumbent and started working to block competition – pushing for the destruction of gates at Love Field that could be used by competitors, trying to get the government to block Dallas-based competitor JSX (even complaining that JSX benefits from a ‘loophole’ which is what Southwest says allowed them to launch).
American Airlines was part of that fight against JSX. They’re based at DFW airport. They used to have gates at Love Field, but had to lease those to Virgin America as part of the deal that got antitrust approval for being taken over by US Airways. They didn’t want to actually fly from Love, though occasionally they did it to block competitors – like flying all-business class Fokkers in response to Legend Airines a quarter century ago.
DFW Airport
Now Southwest and American are facing a new threat – a third Dallas airport in McKinney, Texas. McKinney National Airport is still just a general aviation airport in Collin County, Texas, that is being positioned as a potential third commercial airport in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. McKinney leaders are working to develop ‘TKI’ into a regional alternative to DFW and Love Field.
McKinney National Airport is about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas. Tise airport is more convenient to at least 1 in 8 passengers flying out of either existing airport, and ideal for customers in cities like McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, and Prosper, as well as parts of Denton and Grayson counties.
It has a single runway (18/36) which is currently about 7,500 feet with plans to extend it to 8,500 feet, and it’s ILS-equipped and has a full-time air traffic control tower. Currently McKinney handles an average of 390 general aviation takeoffs and landings per day.
Credit: McKinney Airport
The city has approved plans for a 45,000 square foot commercial terminal on the east side of the airfield, initially with 3 gates but built to be expanded to 5 gates. The apron will have parking for 5 planes, as well as fuel facilities and a de-icing pad. They’re also building out 1,500 parking spaces and rental car facilities.
Prior to the pandemic, the airport reported that airlines had reached out inquiring about opportunities to bring commecial service there. That prompted an environmental assessment, which would be required for FAA signoff.
The early vision was a $300 million, 2–4 gate terminal. City leaders proposed a general obligation bond election to fund $200 million of this, but 59% of voters rejected this (out of concern for potential taxes) despite polling showing 80% of residents support commercial flights there. In response, the city proposed the current ~ $70 million plan.
In 2022, the airport’s director reported that “major national carriers” had shown interest, and said “If this is all for an Allegiant or another low cost carrier, we aren’t interested. We are going after major carriers.”
Credit: McKinney Airport
Back when Southwest was in expansion mode during the pandemic, before having their business scuttled by private equity investors, there was speculation that they could expand to McKinney instead of DFW as the requirement to give up Love Field gates for serving another airport in the area loosened in 2025. (Southwest helped limit the number of gates at the airport – gaining a stranglehold on Love Field but capping their own growth, mollifying American. The Legend Airlines terminal was demolished and is now a Lincoln deadlership.)
The Texas attorney general’s office just ruled that the airport had to release documents related to airline commitments of service at the airport. Avelo Airlines is in talks with the airport.
Credit: Colin Cooke Photo via Wikimedia Commons
City officials previously hinted that one airline would establish a “regional operations base” at McKinney. Proposed routes mentioned by the city’s mayor include Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, New York, and Denver. There is reportedly a second airline in talks with McKinney, and I’d speculate that’s Frontier.
However the FAA will first have to approve certification of the airport for Part 139 commercial operations, which means ensuring adequate safety infrastructure (e.g. crash and fire rescue services, security).
The FAA will have to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact in respoinse to the environmental impact statement before it can move forward as well.
Long-time conservative activist Paul Chabot has spun up a conservation group that’s recently applied for IRS tax exemption – the North Texas Conservation Association – to fight the airport as an environmentalist, because the National Environmental Policy Act is a fulcrum that can be used to gum up public projects. While Southwest and American are not publicly lobbying against McKinney airport, NTCA does not have to disclose its donors. Their lawsuit against the airport focuses on the environmental impact statement.
McKinney success attracting service will hinge on costs and opportunity, but also on DFW’s response. If they subsidize new service enough they could keep airlines out. DFW effectively passed through the bulk of their federal CARES Act money to American Airlines in the form of waived landing fees.
go for it, TKI.
Good, I’ve started to fly out of Red Bird now. It’s much cheaper for landing and fuel than Love field.
That part of the Metroplex has added about 300K people in the last five years. Most transplants. Most well-employed and well-traveled. Most favor convenience.
I see a path for TKI.
Not sure how a small airport with 5 gates would be a credible threat to DFW. Likely might attract Allegiant, Breeze or Avelo.
Residents don’t want it, but the mayor and city council are trying to jam it down their throats
IF The Mayor and city council are trying to jam it down the citizens’ throats then there must be some “juice” for the mayor and council. Why would they bust their a$$ if not?
McKinney has been talking about doing this for decades. I lived there in ’00-’08 and just like now, it was all talk, talk, talk. Nobody in town wants this boondoggle or the noise and traffic that would come with it.
I’ll just be surprised if Avelo is around to fly anything in two years.
It would be amazing if American used their upcoming vertical lift aircraft they have on order to bring people from Love and TKI to DFW. Hours of commute down to 15 minutes
@josh – Outside of rush hour it takes roughly 14-18 minutes to drive from Love Field to DFW.
DFW is AA’s global hub. AA flies more paxs in 10 minutes than McKinney will serve all day. AA and Avelo aren’t competing for the same customer. AA isnt worried.
So.taxpayers are.goign.to be on the hook for this failed project?
This should be private money. If an airline wants to fly there, they should pay for it upgrades.
Otherwise, I hope it fails. It’s MA-GA country after all, and they voted for a smaller government, not a bigger one that spends money on useless airports!!
“Worst Fear,” eh? I’d probably go with ‘bankruptcy’ or ‘hull loss,’ but, sure, fine, a third commercial airport in Dallas, yikes! You Texans might soon feel the thrills of a third option (like, NYC’s JFK, LGA, EWR trio, or DC’s DCA, IAD, BWI smorgasbord…)
@Mike Hunt — You’re finally back after a long hiatus! Tell us, is that your real name, or are you doing ‘a bit’ (you know, ‘my c..t’)? And if that’s too personal, got any poems for me?
Chabot is all politics, trying to win a public office in Texas. We want this airport, and our mayor was just term limited. It’s great that our city leaders have a vision that places McKinney at the forefront! I can’t wait to see the success of our airport and the ability to fly nationally.
This fails to mention that McKinney residents voted this down TWICE with the most recent vote being last year yet the Mayor and Council sucked funds from elsewhere in the budget to YES – jam it down people’s throats coincidentally at the same time a new music venue is being built not far away with key investors being: you guessed it – mayor and council members. The best place for a new regional airport is the existing x-military airport in Sherman Denision where multiple new chip manufacturers are relocating. The dfw skies are already too crowded as it is.
I could see United or Delta considering moving their flights out of DFW, other than that their alliance partners are not moving, but there aren’t enough gates to support either, and one runway is likely not enough. They would need to see where their most profitable customers would rather go.
The traffic on US 75 is frequently terrible, and TX-121 varies. At least DFW has more highways connecting it on several sides, but US-380 is being “improved” into a highway. The Heard Nature Preserve, nearly off the southern edge of the runway is likely the most impacted conversation area.
@1990 your prolific comments are one thing; your ad hominem comments another. In fact, creepy.
If Delta moved their flights there it might make sense but it probably wouldnt work. They currently use 6 gates at dfw and have a ton of flights. Probably too many for a single runway. Too much risk for reliability.
@1990 – Please go take a long walk off a short plank. And don’t think for one second you are fooling any regular user on this forum with your absurd multiple user names.
@Mike Hunt — ‘Me thinks you doth protest too much.’
@cr — Can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Dallas is such a ridiculous place. “Growth” is not what is necessitating a third airport. Uncontrolled urban sprawl and 100% car dependency means hundreds of thousands of people in a “city” cannot reasonably get to either of the airports intended to serve said “city.”
As a frequent traveler to Dallas, I would love a 3rd airport option. Now that Southwest is raising their fees, a good discount carrier in McKinney could keep pricing in check for everyone involved.
This is nothing but nonsense posted by the Fuller camp and his paid for pro airport articles and bloggers. He does the same on Nextdoor with his paid bloggers, everyone knows it’s ridiculous as this article. There is no way in hell his little survey of 50 people proved 80% supports his honey pot $$$…. Errr…. I mean his airport $$$$….
One thing this failed to mention the last 3 bonds were shot down, not just one.
@Jerry – Are Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Mexico City, and São Paulo also ridiculous places? The DFW Metroplex is far from unique when it comes to urban sprawl with a high degree of reliance on private automobiles. Also for whatever it’s worth, the figure is not quite 100%… although it is close. Probably something around to 94% as limited public transit does indeed exist, including rail and light rail services.
A previous commercial effort at Meacham Field (Fort Worth) failed, despite already having the necessary infrastructure, because it was launched as a regional hub. A successful third airport for the metroplex should be modeled on other multi-airport metropolitan areas to serve longer-haul destinations well-paired to the northern part of the metroplex. That would probably include a few business and leisure spots like Orlando, NYC, LAX/Orange County, and Vegas. It should model itself as Burbank is to the LA region, based on convenience. Also look at the noise mitigation practices at John Wayne.
Will the author share the source of the 80% approval? This is false information and degrades credibility.
@NTCA – you’re not being honest with your question when you simply claim – without any source yourself! – that 80% support for the airport is “false information and degrades credibility.”
You’re suing to stop the airport. What are your sources of funding? Are Southwest, American Airlines, or their proxies in any way involved? 😉
Here’s backup for the 80% claim.
https://www.mckinneytexas.org/DocumentCenter/View/19842/Community-Livability-Report—McKinney-Citizen-Survey-2019