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2 airlines ramp up nonstop flights from Austin as passenger traffic soars

As travel continues to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, Southwest Airlines and Air Canada are ramping up service at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
In October, Southwest plans to add daily nonstop service between Austin and Oklahoma City (OKC). One nonstop flight per day will go from Austin to Oklahoma City, and vice versa.
In addition, it’s beefing up existing routes between Austin and four other cities:
- Boosting service to El Paso (ELP) from two times a day to three times a day. The change will be in effect between October 7 and January 5.
- Bumping up service to Kansas City, Missouri (MCI), from once a day to twice a day. The change will be in effect between October 7 and January 5.
- Increasing service to Long Beach, California (LGB), from once a day to twice a day. The change will be in effect between November 1 and 30, and December 18 through 31.
- Elevating service to Lubbock (LBB) from once a week to once a day between October 7 and January 5. This route will be offered on Sundays in September before going daily in October.
The Points Guy travel website first reported the Southwest route adjustments.
Meanwhile, Air Canada is resuming service between Austin and Toronto (YYZ) on September 6, according to Austin-Bergstrom. The flights will operate five days a week. Air Canada had halted service between Austin and Toronto in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flight additions come at a time when the Austin airport is experiencing an increased rush of travelers. Its passenger traffic growth for May 2021 (the most recent figures available) was up by an earth-shaking 745.9 percent compared with May 2020 figures, the airport says, with more than 1.1 million passengers flying through the Austin airport during the month. That represents the first month since the beginning of the pandemic that Austin passenger numbers have surpassed 1 million.