The Atlanta-based airline is bolstering its service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) with new routes.
An Endeavor Air CRJ-900 painted in the Delta Connection livery. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Just over a month after American announced it would be cutting dozens of flights in Austin, Delta is swooping in to grab additional market share. The airline says it will increase year-over-year seat capacity by 20%, with up to 50 peak-day flights.
As part of its Friday announcement, Delta is adding two routes within Texas, positioning Austin as a connection point. Starting on April 22, 2024, the carrier will have up to three daily flights between Austin and Midland/Odessa (MAF) and McAllen (MFE). These flights will be operated by dual-class regional aircraft on both Endeavor and SkyWest.
“This is the first time we’ll be using Austin as a connecting point to access our network with the addition of McAllen and Midland,” Eric Beck, managing director of network planning said in an interview with CNBC. “For us here at Delta, Texas has historically has been a white space for opportunity on our network.”
Delta’s SkyTeam partners KLM and Aeromexico serve Austin, creating additional opportunities for connections. Albeit not part of the SkyTeam alliance, Delta partner Virgin Atlantic announced it would be pulling out of Austin in October. In addition, Aeromexico Connect will fly from McAllen to Mexico City starting on Feb. 1, 2024.
Along with its hubs, Delta also serves a handful of point-to-point markets from Austin, including Las Vegas, Orlando, Raleigh/Durham, and Cincinnati. Also starting in April 2024, the airline will add an additional daily flight to both Cincinnati and Raleigh/Durham. With these additions, Austin-Cincinnati will have double daily service while Raleigh/Durham will have three daily flights.
Delta is also planning to add service from Austin to Nashville in April with up to three daily flights. It will compete with both American and Southwest on this route.
Despite recent service cuts, Austin-Bergstrom is still one of the fastest-growing airports in the U.S. According to Cirium Diio data, the airport served 11% more passengers in 2022, exceeding 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
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