Traveling around Texas

Vonlane ramps up luxury bus service from Austin to Fort Worth

You can now wheel away before sunrise.

Courtesy of Vonlane

In welcome news for travelers seeking alternatives to flying or filling their tanks, Vonlane has ramped up service to and from popular Texas cities.

The luxury bus operator has introduced two new departures, on peak travel days, between Austin and Fort Worth and Fort Worth and Houston (for a total of four daily excursions between each city).

"Good news, early birds! Cowtown just got more accessible with added departure times out of Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth that allow you to have a productive day trip aboard Vonlane," the company said in an August 23 email to customers. "Avoid the overnight hotel stay, travel in first-class comfort, and arrive home rested and caught up on phone calls and emails."

The schedule now looks like this:

Austin to/from Fort Worth: 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm Monday-Friday; modified service Saturday-Sunday.

Houston to/from Fort Worth: 6 am, 10:45 am, 3:30 pm, 8:15 pm Monday-Friday; modified service Saturday-Sunday.

With the newly expanded services, the Dallas-based company says, it has returned to 95 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity. Beginning in October, in fact, travelers can expect up to eight departures each way on Vonlane’s most popular routes, they say — a total of 72 departures on peak days between major Texas destinations.

“Texans are eager to get out and travel across the state for vacation, for work, and to see loved ones, and they are looking to Vonlane for the best travel experience in America,” said Alex Danza, founder and CEO of Vonlane, in a statement. “By increasing our departures to pre-pandemic levels, we’re making it easier than ever for travelers to get away on their own schedule in comfort and style.”

Around Texas, Vonlane’s upcoming schedule will offer the following departures on peak days:

Austin-Fort Worth: 4 departures each way
Austin-Dallas: 8 departures each way
Austin-Houston: 8 departures each way
Houston-San Antonio: 4 departures each way
Dallas-Houston: 8 departures each way
Fort Worth-Houston: 4 departures each way

The company says it hopes to re-launch out-of-state service in November. Pre-pandemic, it operated routes to and from Oklahoma City.

Vonlane launched its high-end bus service in 2014 to cater to business travelers. Each bus, which holds fewer than two dozen passengers, features amenities like Wi-Fi, satellite TV and radio, snack and drink service, sleep masks, and leather seats. Fares start at $99.

Reservations can be booked online, and may be canceled and fully refunded up to 24 hours before departure.

transportation

Holiday News

TSA predicts record-breaking numbers for Thanksgiving travel in 2024

Busy airport, airplane, boarding, passengers, travelers, san antonio

Photo by Arno Senoner on Unsplash

TSA says 2024 is a big year for travel.

A new forecast by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) predicts that 2044 will be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record.

According to a release, the agency is projected to screen 18.3 million people from Tuesday, November 26, through Monday, December 2 — representing a volume increase of approximately 6 percent from 2023.

Passenger volumes have reached record highs in 2024, with an increase of 17 percent since 2022.

TSA projects the three busiest travel days with their expected volumes as follows:

Tuesday, November 26: more than 2.8 million people
Wednesday, November 27: more than 2.9 million people
Sunday, December 1: more than 3 million people

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas says the TSA team is standing by with metal detection wands in hand.

“Many members of the TSA workforce will be on duty throughout Thanksgiving Day and week, and I am immensely grateful for their selfless dedication and professionalism," Mayorkas says in a statement. "I encourage travelers to plan ahead, follow TSA’s travel tips, and take advantage of programs like TSA PreCheck – simple steps that will make everyone’s journey smoother, our skies safer, and TSA’s job easier.”

TSA has screened more than 2.9 million passengers on multiple days in 2024. The record for the heaviest passenger volume in TSA history was Sunday, July 7, when Transportation Security Officers screened more than 3 million people at airport security checkpoints nationwide.

“The 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history have all occurred in 2024, and we anticipate that trend to continue," TSA Administrator David Pekoske says.

TSA's Travel Tips

TSA advises passengers to pack smart and start with an empty bag. Passengers who do so are less likely to bring prohibited items through the checkpoint.
For carry-on bags, all liquids, gels, and aerosols must be 3.4 ounces or less.
Foods such as gravy, cranberry sauce, wine, jam, and preserves – considered liquids or gels – must be packed in a checked bag if they exceed 3.4 ounces.
Passengers can bring solid foods such as cakes and other baked goods through the checkpoint.

The TSA PreCheck Trusted Traveler Program offers faster checkpoint screening with wait times that are almost always 10 minutes or less. Passengers enrolled in TSA PreCheck do not need to remove shoes; belts; 3-1-1 liquids, aerosols and gels; laptops; food items, or light jackets during security screening. TSA PreCheck members are reminded to make sure their Known Traveler Number (KTN) is in their airline reservation so it appears on their boarding pass.

holidays