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American Airlines is expanding again in Austin with 14 new routes

June 10, 2021
5 min read
American Airlines planes Los Angeles LAX
American Airlines is expanding again in Austin with 14 new routes
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There's seemingly no shortage of demand for flights to and from Austin.

On Thursday, American Airlines unveiled one of its largest Austin-focused expansions yet, with 14 new year-round routes beginning this fall, consisting of ten domestic and four international destinations.

American's expanded Austin service will commence in three stages throughout September, October and November. The full list of new routes is below:

New domestic routes from AUS:

Destination FrequencyFlights begin
Cincinnati (CVG)
Twice-daily
Sept. 8
El Paso (ELP)
Three-times daily
Sept. 8, Oct. 7 and Nov. 2
Indianapolis (IND)
Twice-daily
Sept. 8 and Oct. 7
Jacksonville (JAX)
Daily
Sept. 8
Kansas City (MCI)
Twice-daily
Sept. 8 and Nov. 2
Oklahoma City (OKC)
Daily
Oct. 7
Reno (RNO)
Daily
Sept. 8
San Juan (SJU)
Daily
Oct. 7
St. Louis (STL)
Twice-daily
Sept. 8 and Oct. 7
Tulsa (TUL)
Daily
Nov. 2

New international routes from AUS:

Destination FrequencyFlights begin
Cancun (CUN)
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Nov. 2
Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR)*
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Nov. 2
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PVR)*
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Oct. 7
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ)*
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Nov. 2

All flights will be available for sale beginning on June 14. A carrier spokesperson confirmed that the new flights will be operated by a mix of Embraer 175 regional jets and mainline Boeing 737-800s.

Perhaps the most notable move on American's part is that it chose a handful of routes without any direct competition. Five of the ten domestic routes and three out of the four international ones will be operated exclusively by American, according to Cirium schedule data, to destinations marked with an asterisk above.

The others will go head-to-head against many of the incumbents in the Austin market, including Southwest, Allegiant, JetBlue and Sun Country.

Related: Allegiant is opening a base in Austin

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The Austin ramp-up begins on Sept. 8, two days after Labor Day, which typically marks the start of the school year for students and the return of business travelers from their summer vacations.

Austin is one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas (Photo by Mark Lee/Getty Images)

Though leisure travel is steadily creeping up to pre-pandemic levels, business travelers, including the biggest road warriors, haven't returned to the skies nearly as fast. Austin, notably, is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country, with more and more companies relocating or adding satellite offices there.

With these new domestic routes, American appears to be betting that it can not serve Austin-based business travelers, but also that employees — and employers — will be comfortable with work travel again this Fall.

The international expansion, on the other hand, is seemingly geared towards the local leisure segment looking for an outdoor-friendly beachside vacation.

American's move to boost Austin — the carrier and its partners will offer nearly 100 peak-day departures from AUS this fall — comes just three months after the airline doubled down on the city with ten new routes.

At the time, the carrier said that it was committed to the Austin market, with vice president of network planning Brian Znotins telling TPG that "we are certainly thinking long-term here. We are at the front-end of our growth in Austin."

True to Znotins' word, American isn't just announcing 14 new Austin routes on Thursday. It's also increasing existing service, including starting year-round service to Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD) and Nassau, Bahamas (NAS) after this summer's successful seasonal debut, and adding frequencies to the following five domestic destinations:

  • Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) — two additional flights
  • Miami (MIA) — two additional flights
  • New Orleans (MSY)
  • Orlando (MCO)
  • Tampa (TPA)

Despite all the new flights, American isn't ready to call Austin a "focus city." Airline spokesperson Brian Metahm told TPG that there are "no changes to how we view Austin." Metham also confirmed that no existing routes are getting cut to make room for the new flights.

Instead, this growth is all about responding to customer demand, the airline said.

“Over time, we’ve seen Austin grow like crazy… There have been more nonstop flights added by other airlines. But we really want to differentiate ourselves for customers flying out of Austin. These nonstop flights will save them time, and we’ll offer them the American experience,” said Znotins during American's first Austin expansion earlier this year.

Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Intro Offer

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  • Annual Fee

    $325
  • Recommended Credit

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.