As part of its 44th anniversary of operations in the Texas capital, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is adding new connections with Southwest Airlines beginning March 2022, including a direct flight to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) in Mexico.
Austin has been experiencing continued growth in connectivity, and Southwest has been the primary carrier serving the city for at least three decades. The announcement of these new routes clearly represents an expanded offering of leisure and business destinations.
«We celebrate a growing customer base in Central Texas with this significant investment designed specifically for Austin’s business and leisure travelers”, said Dave Harvey, vice president of Southwest Business for Southwest.
«As we continue to strengthen our network in Austin, customers will see more flights on key routes, as well as new destinations on our map, while enjoying Southwest’s world-renowned hospitality”,he added.
In total, Southwest will now offer nonstop service between Austin and 46 destinations with up to 105 departures per day, representing 28.9% of capacity offered in ASK (seat-kilometers) by March 2022, according to the Cirium platform.
New destinations
Beginning March 10, 2022, the schedule includes daily nonstop service between:
Austin and Amarillo (AMA), Texas.
Austin and Charleston (CHS), SC
Austin and Columbus (CMH), Ohio (will also operate during peak vacation travel periods in 2021)
Austin and Midland / Odessa (MAF), Texas (previously flew nonstop in 2009)
Austin and Ontario (ONT), California.
More Beach destinations
Beginning March 12, 2022, Southwest plans to start new international service between Austin and Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Mexico, subject to necessary government approvals, adding to San Jose del Cabo (SJD) and Cancun (CUN). On the same day, weekly seasonal flights operated every Saturday between:
Austin and Panama City Beach (ECP), Fla.
Austin and Sarasota / Bradenton (SRQ)
Austin and Destin / Fort Walton Beach (VPS)
Previously the carrier announced a direct connection between Austin and Oklahoma (OKC) that will begin operating beginning Oct. 7 and Pittsburgh (PIT), which will begin Nov. 23.
«As Austin and its airport continue to grow, we are pleased to welcome these new and expanded services to Central Texas,» said Jacqueline Yaft, AUS chief executive officer. As we celebrate 44 years of Southwest’s operations in Austin, we are grateful for their continued investment and confidence in the future of AUS”, she added.
Competing with American Airlines
The second major carrier in Austin is American Airlines which will have a 28.1% ASK share by March 2022. By the end of 2021 it will offer 36 direct connections, including those to Nassau (NAS) in the Bahamas; Liberia (LIR) in Costa Rica; San Juan (SJU) in Puerto Rico; Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic; and San Jose del Cabo (SJD), Cancun (CUN) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR) in Mexico.
