Southwest to take on American Air out of Dallas, thanks to a new Love Field

The final curtain doesn’t drop on the Wright amendment for another 19 months. But already, Southwest Airlines Co. is thinking about what the change will mean for service at Dallas Love Field — and the prospect has airline officials excited.

As of 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 14, 2014, Southwest and other carriers at the Dallas airport will be allowed to fly nonstop to any other U.S. city, the first time they’ve had that right since the federal law limiting flights at Love Field went into effect on Feb. 15, 1980.

The likely result — a substantial increase in Southwest’s flights out of the Dallas airport and nonstop flights to its biggest cities, which it now reaches with at least one stop in between.