city by the Bay
Low-cost airline celebrates new nonstop from Austin to San Francisco with $59 fares
Whether you left your heart or startup seed funding in San Francisco, Frontier Airlines is making it easier than ever to get there. On May 22, the low-cost airline announced it's adding a new nonstop from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to San Francisco International Airport.
Austin certainly has a glut of direct flights to SFO, but do they come with $59 celebratory fares? We didn't think so. And granted, flying Frontier can sometimes feel akin to riding on a regional bus that somehow sprouted wings, a $59 ticket is a $59 ticket, and if we have to bring our own snacks on the plane to keep from fainting, then that's fine with us.
The new flights shuttle between AUS to SFO on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, but come with this caveat from Frontier: "Service is seasonal, and frequency and times are subject to change."
The flight times may not be uniform, but one thing is certain: all Frontier flights leave from the South Terminal. ABIA's South Terminal sits behind the Barbara Jordan Terminal, and is accessible via a long, Versailles-like driveway that is seemingly so endless, halfway down you wonder if you've somehow made a wrong turn even though the road is straight.
Eventually a quaint parking lot emerges and an empty passenger van stops in front of your truck. You get on, chat with the driver, make a joke about this being your personal parking lot van. He locks eyes with you in the rearview mirror and smiles politely, having heard the joke at least a dozen times this week.
You then pull up in front of the South Terminal entrance, unload your bags, and walk into what looks sort of like a doctor's office, but with body scanners and TSA agents.
And that's the other thing about the South Terminal — the TSA agents. They all seem so happy, surely delighted that they don't have to deal with hordes of agitated travelers inching through the security line. Here, there is no line. And so the agents are jovial and fun and add to the entire Twin Peaks experience that is flying out of the South Terminal.
The AUS to SFO nonstop marks Frontier's 19th route out of Austin's South Terminal, and in celebration, the airline is offering $59 fares now through May 15 at 11:59 pm. The fares are available for Wednesday flights only. For more information, head here.
