Ehrlich seeks a Southwest move to BWI

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has asked Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher to consider moving the company’s corporate headquarters to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Mr. Ehrlich spoke late Wednesday with Mr. Kelleher about a move to the Baltimore airport, the airline’s fourth-largest hub. But Southwest, which has been in Dallas since 1971, isn’t packing boxes.

The likelihood that Southwest will leave its corporate headquarters next to Love Field in Dallas appears remote, but Southwest Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly last week initiated rampant speculation about the company’s future when he said he will listen to an unsolicited offer from Phoenix, which hopes to persuade the airline to relocate.

Phoenix pounced on Southwest because of the airline’s frustration over the Wright Amendment, the 1979 law limiting departures from Love Field.

Since Mr. Kelly’s remarks, officials in Maryland and Chicago have contacted Southwest Airlines to ask about the company’s relocation plans.

“Herb Kelleher and Governor Ehrlich are good friends, and we’ll try to build on that,” said Aris Melissaratos, secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

Maryland officials have not made Southwest Airlines an offer, Mr. Melissaratos said.

“We’re not that far yet,” he said. “To the extent Southwest is serious about a move, we will make available all the benefits Maryland has to offer.”

Chances may be slim that Southwest will leave Dallas, Mr. Melissaratos said, but if the airline does decide to move, Maryland will be a strong contender.

“I think Mr. Kelleher told the governor that if the airline moves, Baltimore would be his No. 1 choice,” he said.

In response to questions after his speech Tuesday at the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) annual industry forecast, Mr. Kelleher said there is no chance that Southwest will move to Phoenix.

Then he said the airline will entertain offers from other cities and might have to move unless Congress repeals the Wright Amendment, engineered by former House Speaker Jim Wright, Texas Democrat, to protect neighboring Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Under the amendment, planes with 57 seats or more leaving Love Field can fly only to states contiguous to Texas and to Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi and Missouri.

In his remarks, Mr. Kelleher confirmed that other cities have contacted the airline. Then he became reticent, joking that he did not want to start a fight with American Airlines Senior Vice President William Ris, seated at table in the front of the room. American Airlines, based at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, supports the Wright Amendment.

Southwest has a established a massive presence at BWI over 13 years, which leads Maryland officials to think that BWI would make a suitable home for the low-cost airline.

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