Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field) has agreed to allow Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) to continue using one of its Dallas Love Field gates pending the outcome of a court case to determine the latter's right of access to the metropolitan airport.

According to the Dallas News, Delta petitioned a US District Court in Dallas to issue a preliminary injunction blocking a Southwest Airlines restraining order which would evict Delta from Love Field when their agreement expires next month.

In total, US District Judge Ed Kinkeade is considering three separate petitions the second of which is Delta requesting permission to remain at Love Field past July 6. The third petition has been filed by the City of Dallas which is seeking clarity on which airlines are entitled to use which gate slots at the metropolitan airport. It is also seeking clarity on the precedence of US Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "guidances" over the City's existing leases with other airlines using the airport.

As it now stands, the deadline for responses and replies have now been delayed into July: July 17 for responses to the various filings, and July 31 for replies to the responses.

In January of this year, Delta announced it had reached an agreement with United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) allowing the former to maintain its Dallas Love Field operations through to July 6. Delta was to have lost its access to the central Dallas airport in October last year when American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) transferred its gates at the airport, one of which was leased to Delta, to Virgin America (San Francisco) as part of its merger settlement with the US Department of Justice.

Then, in February, United announced it would be withdrawing from Dallas Love Field in favour of Dallas/Fort Worth with its two Love Field gates to be subleased to Southwest. While the Texan LCC said it would continue to honour United's agreement with Delta, it said nothing about Delta's future at Love Field post July 6.