With champagne, cable TV, airline takes off on Love Field's first long-haul flight in years

Thursday, April 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ABOARD LEGEND AIRLINES FLIGHT 20 - At 35,558 feet, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 sped across the Arkansas border and into Tennessee at 527 mph, but few of the 50 passengers on board noticed the plane had entered previously forbidden territory.

They were too busy watching cable television or sipping champagne in their burgundy leather seats.

Dallas-based Legend Airlines Inc. on Wednesday carried its first paying passengers into the air and made history in the process, becoming the first airline in more than a quarter century to fly from Love Field to a city beyond Texas and four neighboring states.

Until now, those were the boundaries observed by airlines at Love Field. Since 1974, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has served as the sole airport in North Texas for long-haul commercial flights.

But in February, a federal appeals court ruling gave Legend the right to fly past these perimeters as long as it complies with laws that limit such flights to no more than 56 seats.

History aside, Legend now aims to make money and secure a niche for itself in the hotly competitive Dallas market by offering its customers first-class service at coach prices - anything from a discount fare booked well in advance to a higher fare booked at the last minute. The carrier's inaugural flight landed Wednesday morning in Washington Dulles International Airport, one of three destinations it will serve.

Legend's first customers, nearly all of whom live in Dallas, marveled at the nearly 4 feet of legroom, the wide leather seats and a menu that included blueberry and apple crepes and free champagne.

With only two seats on either side of the aisle, no one worried about elbows jabbing fellow travelers. But it was the free live cable television on individual screens in the backs of each seat that won their highest praise.
"I love the TV," said Lori Gutierrez, who flew Legend along with two co-workers to attend a convention in Baltimore. "The TV was the best part."

Reva Knight said her 19-month-old daughter, Neva, was so occupied with watching The Learning Channel that she barely made a peep for almost an hour. Ms. Knight and her sister were planning to meet up with her husband during his business trip in Washington, D.C.

"The service and all the flight attendants have been very helpful," she said. "It's so comfortable."

During the nearly three-hour flight, Legend chief executive T. Allan McArtor passed out commemorative flight certificates to each passenger. And the airline thanked customers for taking the inaugural flight with an ad on a closed-circuit channel featuring a map that tracked the plane's whereabouts throughout the flight.

"Being a business traveler, you get tired of being just another middle seat," said Mark Knudson, an engineer on his way to Washington, D.C., for a business meeting. "The service has been very good."

Successful model

Launched with $62 million in capital from unidentified investors, Legend is betting that it can duplicate the success enjoyed by Midwest Express Airlines Inc. of Milwaukee, a carrier that also caters to business travelers by selling first-class seats at coach prices.

The new carrier faces stiff competition from Fort Worth-based American Airlines Inc., which plans to offer long-haul service at Love Field.

Industry analysts have expressed mixed views about whether Legend will be able to avoid the financial pitfalls and management mishaps that plunge most fledgling carriers into bankruptcy.

Passengers who had booked tickets on Flight 20 weren't notified until earlier this week that the airline would begin operating Wednesday, with regularly scheduled service starting Friday. Many had held onto their Legend tickets because they knew if the carrier didn't start service in time for their flights, they would be accommodated on Delta Air Lines Inc., Legend's frequent-flier partner.

Legend had sold tickets for flights beginning Feb. 29 but was forced to postpone its start date because its planes weren't ready for government safety inspections. On Monday, the carrier received permission to fly from the Federal Aviation Administration. Besides Washington Dulles, Legend will also serve Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

New competition

Many of Legend's first customers said they normally would have flown American, which controls 70 percent of the passenger traffic at D/FW.

"If I am going to pay the same price, it looks like they [Legend] have a more comfortable seating arrangement," said David Lewis, vice president of government affairs at Lennox International Inc. in Richardson and an American executive platinum member.

After the flight, Mr. Lewis said he would fly Legend again. "It's a lot better than being squeezed in a seat," he said.

If successful, Legend could turn into a thorn in American's side. The world's second-largest airline stands to lose some high-paying North Dallas business travelers, who rank among its best customers, analysts say.

"It's time for more competition on service," said Thomas Plaskett, Legend's vice chairman and a former American executive. "We've had competition on price since deregulation."
American is moving to accommodate its business travelers at Love Field. The airline announced it will start new long-haul service to Los Angeles and Chicago on May 1 after it and the city of Fort Worth lost a legal battle to keep Legend grounded. Unlike Continental Express Inc. and Delta's Comair, American aims to match Legend's legroom by using planes larger than regional jets.

But even this looming battle wasn't enough to keep American employee Bob Westgate off Legend's first flight.

Mr. Westgate, who describes himself as an aviation enthusiast with a hankering for any airline's inaugural flights, took the day off from his job in American's operations planning department just so he could experience Flight 20.

The 6-foot-5-inch Mr. Westgate's only complaint: The crepes and his bagel were cold.

"But you know, it's starting day," he allowed. "And I don't have my knees all banged up."

For Legend's 300 workers, Wednesday was a day for celebration. Karen Dansby, Legend's senior analyst for pricing and revenue and a former American employee, and her daughter Christina woke up early to drive from their home in Fort Worth to be on hand for the Wednesday morning cake and ribbon-cutting ceremony inside Legend's new $20 million terminal.

"I wanted to be a part of a start-up airline," Ms. Dansby said. "This is really worth it."