Why American Airlines' DFW Fortress Hub Isn’t So Scary Anymore

These feel like the best of times for air travel in North Texas.After years of turbulence, including a deep recession, American Airlines’ bankruptcy and the fight over the Wright Amendment, the business has settled into a healthy equilibrium.Passenger traffic is up sharply at DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field. Airfares dropped by double-digit rates after Wright ended and remain relatively low. And both hometown airlines, American and Southwest, continue to rack up billion-dollar profits.The latest sign of prosperity: American plans to add up to 100 daily flights at DFW, projected to account for about two-thirds of the airline’s growth in 2019.“Why am I so excited about DFW?” American president Robert Isom said at an investor conference in September.There’s room to grow and redeploy routes through American’s biggest hub, he said, and that will generate much higher margins.“This is the most profitable part of our network,” Isom told the audience.  Continue reading...