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Memo from President Duane O'Neill

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES TO DFW?  NOT QUITE YET

From the day Southwest Airlines announced plans to serve Jackson, this community has hoped that non-stop service to Dallas, Texas, would become one of our available flights.  Southwest has always been a convenient and affordable venue for flying anywhere west of the Mississippi.  That option became increasingly important when Delta Airlines discontinued all service to DFW and limited choices when heading west.  Southwest does have four daily flights to Houston Hobby and those are quite popular with our Jackson based fliers.  However, surveys and feedback tell us that Dallas is still the preferred destination. So why hasn’t it happened?

To make a long story short, when SWA began operation in 1971, the airline was restricted to flying any non-stop flights out of Dallas Love Field only to other cities in Texas and cities in states contiguous to Texas.  This was done by congressional action in the form of what we call the Wright Amendment.  Congressman Jim Wright was then Speaker of the House of Representatives.  He authored the federal law placing these restrictions on SWA in order to protect DFW Airport.  Even in 1997 when Southwest chose Jackson as a new city for their system, this law removed the Dallas Love Field to Jackson flight from any negotiations. 

Shortly after SWA entered our market there were changes made to the Wright Amendment targeted to help communities like Jackson.  In fact, Senator Trent Lott was one of the key proponents of the changes.  These new changes made it possible for SWA to fly directly to new communities like Jackson.  However, the opposition was sly and inserted marketing language that made the new changes ineffective.  They had inserted verbiage that made the Dallas to Jackson route possible, but limited the service to travel only to and from those cities and still prohibited any connecting service. In other words, you could fly from Dallas to Jackson, but no further.  A passenger could not go from Dallas to Jackson to Orlando (or anywhere else).  Likewise, passengers could fly from Jackson to Dallas but could not continue on to other destinations.  Needless to say, traffic to and from here to Dallas was not strong enough to support the Boeing 737 aircraft SWA flies.

This brings us to present day.  There is now an effort to completely repeal the Wright Amendment.  This would finally allow Jackson and other cities around the country to get complete and connecting service from SWA out of Dallas Love Field.  Your Chamber leadership along with Southwest representatives met with the Mississippi Congressional Delegation in Washington this past week concerning this endeavor.  The response was very favorable. However, the issue continues to be a political powder keg.  Other airlines, especially American, are planning to use their political capital to fight any such repeal.  Texas itself will be split in their support.  Nevertheless, we do feel the climate is better now for change than at any time in the past. 

One thing is certain - without the repeal of the Wright Amendment, Southwest Airlines WILL NOT add non-stop service to Dallas.  If you feel this service is important, please contact your congressional delegation and let them know how you feel. 

                                     Ross Tucker, Vice President of Economic Development

*At the end of March, MEDA will unveil its quarterly electronic newsletter which will include articles from all nine entities currently belonging to MEDA and new developments within the MetroJackson area.

In 1994 four visionary entities and the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership helped form the MetroJackson Economic Development Alliance (MEDA).  Over the past year MEDA has taken strides to become “Proactive instead of Reactive” in promoting to and recruiting to the Metro Jackson Region.  Pooling the resources of all the MEDA partners in Metro Jackson means more exposure and a broader reach for each. MEDA markets Metro Jackson locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally by producing and distributing marketing materials, advertising in trade publications, and participating in major trade shows and other events that attract site selection consultants and company representatives. Another significant benefit of MEDA is that it gives both existing businesses and prospective companies a single source to contact for information or assistance. MEDA representatives work in tandem with the Economic Development Department of the MetroJackson Chamber that provides the group with professional and administrative support, as well as others involved in economic development locally and around the state in both the public and private sectors.

In the past MEDA officials traveled throughout the United States to learn how other regions developed a successful Regional Economic Development Alliance.  Today, MEDA has served as the blueprint in how other regions throughout Mississippi want their communities and counties to come together as MEDA did in 1994.  Though the cohesiveness did not happen over night, all who have served on this board realize the importance of recruiting and marketing on a regional level.  Today, instead of traveling across the country to visit other regional organizations, we now are visited by other regional authorities across the United States to see how MEDA came through its obstacles as they are doing today.

MEDA has grown from the original five members including:  the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, the Madison County Economic Development Authority, Hinds County Economic Development District, the RankinFirst Economic Development Authority, and the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership .  MEDA added the City of Jackson in 2003.  Also, in 2006with the expansion of the Jackson MSA-Copiah County Economic Development District and Entergy, MS joined to show their support in the regional concept.  Finally, in 2005 MEDA’s ninth and newest member being USDA Rural Development joined to support the concept and illustrates that all counties in Central Mississippi have a place and are welcomed to join MEDA at anytime.

If it weren’t for the vision of this chamber’s members and its board along with the leadership from the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties then this region would be playing catch up to the rest of the nation.  The relationship formed because of this partnership will continue to grow and prosper for many years to come.