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As travel returns after the wrath of COVID-19, Southwest Airlines Austin doubles.
The airline announced on Thursday that it will add nine new non-stop routes in the spring to meet market demand from private and business travelers.
The airline plans to increase the service at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport by more than 20 flights per day and offers non-stop connections between Austin and 46 destinations with up to 105 departures per day.
On March 10, airlines announced that they would begin daily non-stop flights to Amarillo, Midland, Charleston, SC, Columbus, Ohio and Ontario, California.
Service to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and seasonal weekly service to Panama City, Florida; Sarasota / Bradenton, Florida and Destin / Fort Walton Beach, Florida begin March 12th.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines started service in Austin 44 years ago this week. Today it is the dominant airline at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
“This is the largest single growth in Austin that we have had in 44-year history,” said David Harvey, vice president of Southwest Business. “When you think of all of the residents, population growth and business climate, where people are opening new offices and moving their headquarters to Austin, the demand is there.”
The new flights should take off before the spring break season and will serve a number of travelers, Harvey said.
“Customers tell us they want more additional options to get business connectivity, but beaches have also been very hot,” he said. “That’s why we have three new beach destinations in Florida and are also expanding our international portfolio.”
Harvey said recreational traffic was back to 2019 levels this summer, but the COVID delta variant slowed the trajectory. Business travel remained in decline as companies postponed travel amid the COVID delta variant.
“The remaining void was actually the business area,” he said. “I know people have been working with Zoom platforms for the past 18 months. Just as there was a backlog in their free time, there is absolutely the same backlog in the business world.”
Southwest expects more business travel in the fall, Harvey said. “When you think of sales, new business development, new relationships, there’s nothing like being face to face,” he said.
In addition to the non-stop flights in Austin, Southwest is also building up employees. The airline employs 450 people at ABIA.
Southwest plans to fill more than 5,000 jobs across the country by the end of the year. The airline is hiring nationwide in Austin, including in customer service, ground handling and management positions.
“As Austin and the airport continue to grow, we are excited to welcome these new and expanded services to central Texas,” said Jacqueline Yaft, CEO of Austin Airport.
In the past few months, airlines have introduced a number of new nonstop flights to and from Austin. In May, American Airlines began flying 10 year-round and seasonal routes from ABIA.
Daily, year-round service from Austin to Nashville, Las Vegas, Orlando and New Orleans began in May, with connections to Raleigh-Durham, Tampa and Washington-Dulles later in the summer, the airline said.
The new Saturday seasonal service to Aspen, Colorado, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, and Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida began in June.
Other airlines also offer service from Austin. Alaska Airlines began flying from Austin to Boise, Idaho in July. Allegiant Air began flying non-stop from Austin to Bozeman, Mont. And Bentonville, Ark. This summer.
Meanwhile, the Mexican low-cost airline Viva Aerobus has announced that it will offer non-stop flights to Mexico City and Monterrey. However, those plans are on hold after the Federal Aviation Administration decided in May to downgrade its aviation safety rating for Mexico. The downgrade bans the country’s airlines from serving the United States
Passenger traffic at Austin Airport fell 63% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airport had about 6.5 million passengers last year, up from 17.3 million passengers in 2019, the highest passenger travel year ever.
The 2020 passenger count is the lowest number for Austin-Bergstrom since the airport opened in 1999. Prior to COVID-19, the airport experienced record-breaking passenger growth for 10 years in a row.
But there are signs of recovery: the Friday before Labor Day was the airport’s busiest day since the pandemic began, with 27,827 passengers.
Although outside visitors return to Austin’s hotels, restaurants, and entertainment districts, industry analysts estimate it will be at least two years before the region’s hospitality industry returns to 2019 levels. Returning from business trips and trips abroad is expected to take significantly longer.
This story was originally published on the Austin American-Statesman.
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