That’s the ticket!

Austin airport flies away with 10 new nonstop flights from American Airlines

American is adding 10 new flights to Austin.

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the number of nonstop flights to popular business and leisure destinations has grown with the population. It’s now undergoing a huge growth spurt, with the airport landing nonstop flights on American and Alaska airlines to more than 10 cities.

American Airlines announced March 11 that it’s adding daily or twice-daily nonstop flights between Austin and:

Las Vegas — once daily starting May 6, twice daily starting June 3
Nashville — once daily starting May 6, twice daily starting July 2
New Orleans — once daily starting May 6
Orlando, Florida — once daily starting May 6
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina — once daily starting July 2, twice daily starting August 17
Tampa, Florida — once daily starting June 3
Washington, D.C. (Dulles) — twice daily starting August 17

American also is introducing Saturday-only seasonal service to Aspen, Colorado (June 5-September 4), and Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida (June 5-August 14). In addition, the airline is extending its Saturday-only seasonal flights to Los Cabos, Mexico (June 5-August 14).

“American is eager to expand in Austin alongside the exponential growth of the region, and we’ll be the easiest airline to do business with as we continue to grow,” Brian Znotins, American’s vice president of network planning, says in a March 11 release. “Customers have been asking for more service to Austin, and today we’re answering the call. These routes not only provide opportunities for companies to get back to business and for leisure travelers to enjoy the excitement of Austin, but also connect Central Texans with new leisure destinations they desire.”

A day before American’s announcement, Alaska Airlines revealed it’s introducing nonstop service between Austin and Boise, Idaho. Once-a-day nonstops serving the two cities will launch June 17.

“Alaska’s new service between Boise and Austin will connect two capital cities with robust tech economies,” the airline says.

vacation

santa loves sunshine

Austin heats up as 4th best warm destination for U.S. winter travel

Trail of Lights Austin

Austinites love visiting the Trail of Lights every year during the winter holidays.

Mariah Carey isn't the only one defrosting in preparation for the winter season: Austin has warmed up as one of WalletHub's top five best warm weather travel destinations for 2024.

Every year, WalletHub's analysts divide nearly 70 of the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas into two categories: the top "warm" and "cold" weather destinations. The study evaluated every metro based on 37 factors, including travel costs, local costs, weather predictions, and safety.

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown earned a score of 67.84 out of 100 possible points to claim the sunny No. 4 spot nationally in 2024. The metro slipped one spot from its previous 2023 ranking, allowing Dallas-Fort Worth to move into the No. 3 spot this year. Austin previously ranked No. 1 in 2021 and No. 2 in 2022.

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (No. 1), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California (No. 2), and Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona rounded out the top five best warm-weather winter destinations.

The Central Texas metro ranked No. 3 in the national "travel costs and hassles" categories, showing major favorability towards the busy yet efficient Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin's near year-round sunshine earned it No. 6 in the "weather" ranking out of all 69 U.S. metros.

Here's how Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown performed in the remaining four categories:

No. 10 – Attractions rank
No. 12 – Warm weather activities rank
No. 19 – Local costs rank
No. 25 – Safety rank

As in previous years, the highest concentration of top warm weather destinations was in Florida (10 metros), followed by Texas (nine metros), then California (eight metros).

Besides DFW and Austin, the only other Texas metro to earn a spot in the top 10 in 2024 was Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (No. 6). San Antonio-New Braunfels slipped from No. 5 in 2023 to No. 11 this year.

Atlanta, Georgia ranked No. 1 once again on the list of best cold weather destinations for winter vacations, outdoing New York City, New York (No. 2), Washington, D.C. (No. 3), and Chicago, Illinois (No. 4).

"Whether you love to have a chill in your bones during the winter travel season or prefer to escape to somewhere sunny, the top travel destinations can cost as little as $200-$300 to reach by plane from major U.S. cities, with no connections," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the top cities also have an abundance of attractions that fit their weather patterns, along with high-quality restaurants and relatively low crime rates."

The top 10 best warm weather destinations for winter vacations are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada
No. 2 – San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
No. 3 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 4 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
No. 6 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California
No. 8 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 9 – Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
No. 10 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida

For the purpose of the study, "cold" weather was determined to be less than or equal to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, while "warm" weather was greater than or equal to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Both guidelines were analyzed based on the 50-year average December temperatures.

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

reports wallethub vacations destinations austin round rock georgetown