Airport Experience® News - Customer Service Issue 2023

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

THE DALLAS LOVE SQUEEZE New Director Patrick Carreno Ushers In More Growth Despite Gate Constraints

BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: Dallas Love Field (DAL) sits in the shadow of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport but has carved out a unique niche as an alternative airport serving the massive Dallas metro market. Up until 2014, flights to and from DAL were governed by the Wright Amendment, which limited interstate air travel from the airport in an effort to protect DFW from competition. A decade ago the Wright Amendment was repealed, but the airport is still limited to 20 gates and domestic traffic only. That’s become challenging in recent years, the pandemic years excepted, as demand has flourished. Patrick Carreno is the new director in charge of guiding DAL forward. Earlier this year, the city of Dallas appointed Patrick Carreno as director of aviation to oversee DAL, Dallas Executive Airport (RBD), and the Dallas Vertiport (JDB). Previously, Carreno served as assistant director of operations and interim director. AXN’s Carol Ward spoke with Carreno about his goals for DAL going forward. E

WARD: You’ve been leading DAL for about a year, first as interim director and now as director. What were your key objectives when you took over the leadership role, and what progress has been made thus far? CARRENO: Really, it’s been about providing some strong leadership stability. We were going through a transition – we’d had a director who was here for a long time. I looked at our strengths and weaknesses, or opportunities where we can grow, where we can improve. I’ve had quite a bit of time to be able to focus on that, especially during the interim process. I’m big on the team dynamic and creating a cohesive culture. I want people to feel engaged and motivated to work here, Obviously I want the airport to grow, to be efficient and provide stability to the organization. Also, I’m big on communication. I want to strengthen our relationships with our stakeholders, with our partners, with our passengers.

WARD: How is your passenger traffic trending? Have you fully rebounded from the pandemic? CARRENO: We definitely are in growth. We rebounded pretty quickly, being gate constrained. We typically have more business than we can handle. And the airlines continue to make some changes and continue that growth. We’ve exceeded 2019 levels, now we’re growing again. That’s us working with the airlines, that’s the customers in this area, and I think it’s reflective of the growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in north Texas. WARD: Remind me, what constraints are currently in place for DAL? CARRENO: We’re legislated by Congress, under the Wright Amendment Reform Act. We are capped at 20 gates and no commercial international flights. The airlines find ways to continue to grow under those constraints. We have the highest gate utilization in the country, so they definitely maximize the use of those 20 gates.

Above: Patrick Carreno, director of aviation, Dallas Love Field.

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AX NEWS CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUE 2023