Delta Air Lines adds 3 new routes from Austin 'focus city'
Delta Air Lines will add three new routes from its focus city at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) beginning this November.
The SkyTeam Alliance carrier will launch nonstop flights from AUS to Denver International Airport (DEN) on Nov. 9. Then, more than six months later, it will add flights to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) and Kansas City International Airport (MCI) on June 7, 2026. All three routes will be flown with 76-seat Embraer E175 regional jets.
In addition, Delta will add a second daily flight from AUS to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on April 13, 2026. And, also on June 7, 2026, two additional flights will be added to Indianapolis International Airport (IND), for a total of three daily.
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The new and expanded service is Delta's latest shot at becoming the network carrier of choice in AUS. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport has been among the most competitive in the U.S. with dozens of new routes added — and many lost — as airlines jockeyed for competitive positioning in the Texas capital.
American Airlines led the charge, growing to 3.5 million seats from AUS in 2022 — double the number it flew in 2019 — schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows. The carrier has since cut service to about 2.1 million seats, remaining up just a fifth since before the pandemic.
Delta, meanwhile, has paced itself in AUS. Rather than adding a glut of new flights there, the airline has gradually built up what it considers a "focus city" — or an airport with more flights than average, but not quite a hub like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) — since the pandemic. By the end of 2025, it will offer 2.4 million seats from AUS, an 85% increase from 2019, Cirium data shows.
Both Delta and American, however, pale in size at AUS compared to Southwest Airlines. Long the dominant carrier at the airport, Southwest will fly 6.1 million seats from AUS this year, according to Cirium.
"Delta is building on a strong foundation in Austin and creating more ways for our customers to get where they want to go," said Paul Baldoni, senior vice president of network planning at Delta, in a statement. "It's another step in delivering the network, convenience and premium experience that sets Delta apart as Austin's leading global carrier."
Delta will serve 30 cities nonstop from AUS with its latest additions. In addition, Delta partner Aeromexico links AUS to Mexico City International Airport (MEX), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), and WestJet to Calgary International Airport (YYC).
Since 2024, Delta has added 14 new routes from AUS, Cirium schedules show. These include Delta's only flights to McAllen International Airport (MFE) in the southern Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Two new routes, however, have not worked for Delta. Flights to Valley International Airport (HRL) in Harlingen, Texas, ended in June after only eight months. And flights to Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF), also in Texas, will end in November after a year and a half.
Delta will compete with AUS leader Southwest on all three of its new routes, plus with Frontier Airlines and United Airlines to DEN, Cirium schedules show.
Details of Delta's new and expanded AUS routes are:
- AUS-DEN: New twice daily flights on E175s from Nov. 9.
- AUS-SFO: Expanded twice daily flights on Airbus A319s from April 13, 2026.
- AUS-CMH: New daily flight on an E175 from June 7, 2026.
- AUS-IND: Expanded three times daily flights on E175s from June 7, 2026.
- AUS-MCI: New twice daily flights on E175s from June 7, 2026.
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