Delta expands again in Austin focus city, adds new route to Walmart's backyard
Delta Air Lines is adding another route from its fastest-growing "focus city."
Over the weekend, the Atlanta-based carrier filed plans to launch nonstop service from Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) outside Bentonville.
Flights will begin in March 2027, with Delta offering service on board a Delta Connection regional jet.
The service will give the Texas capital a nonstop link to northwest Arkansas — not to mention parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas, which are all a relatively short drive from XNA.
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The airport is also the closest option for travelers heading to the University of Arkansas.
Delta adds another route from Austin
For Delta, it's the latest in a series of expansions in Austin.
The carrier has grown its flight offerings at AUS at a fast pace over the last couple of years, targeting the airport as one of its top non-hub "focus cities."
That growth included the airline's first nonstop service from Austin to Europe, which Delta revealed in August. Those flights to Paris will begin in April.
That's on top of new routes to major tech hubs like San Jose in California's Silicon Valley and popular leisure destinations like Bozeman, Montana, and Cancun in Mexico.
All told, the airline plans to operate up to 70 daily departures by March, Delta chief commercial officer Joe Esposito told me this summer.
In 2019, it had 28 peak daily departures from AUS.
"The boom is incredible," Esposito told me in August, noting that a growing number of Delta flyers will also start seeing itineraries with connections in the Lone Star State. That said, Delta has stopped short of saying it will ever make Austin a hub.
"We want to be the business carrier of Austin — we're quickly moving in on the leading corporate carrier for Austin," he said. "Then you wind up connecting people."
It's likely no coincidence, then, that Delta would be interested in service to Bentonville: the region is home to Walmart's corporate headquarters.
Delta's Austin-Northwest Arkansas route details
As for this latest route, Delta's service from AUS to Northwest Arkansas will launch on March 7.
It'll be a late-night departure, with flights taking off just before 9 p.m. The return flight from XNA to AUS will launch the next morning, on March 8.
The service will be on board an Embraer 175 regional jet operated by regional partner SkyWest.
"This new direct route is another example of Delta's continued investment in Austin and our commitment to making it easier for Austinites to get where they want to go as we continue growing alongside this important community," Luis Guitart, Delta's Austin-based regional sales manager, said in a statement to TPG Monday.
Delta, Southwest both have big plans in Austin
While Delta has grown its flight offerings in Austin rapidly over the past couple of years, Southwest Airlines remains the market leader at the airport.
Southwest, like Delta, plans to offer its biggest schedule ever from AUS in 2027.
The airport will also be home to one of its inaugural airport lounges.
Delta, for its part, is planning a second — larger — Sky Club at AUS for the coming years.
XNA sees jump in air service
By the way, Delta's new route to Northwest Arkansas will add to a strong run of air service growth for that region, too.
This year, the airport will see 28% more total flights than it did just two years ago, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Beyond its future route to Austin, Delta serves Bentonville from five other airports — all hubs: Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
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