The airline is cutting routes from Austin to several cities around the country starting next month.
Courtesy of American Airlines
American Airlines is going back to basics in Austin after experimenting with dozens of new nonstop flights during the pandemic.
The carrier will no longer be an option for Austinites eager to visit Bourbon Street in New Orleans after October or soak up the history of Boston’s Freedom Walk after November. Nonstop flights to both cities are among the seven that will end in the next few months.
Also gone are American’s nonstops from Austin to Las Vegas and Orlando in October; Nashville and Raleigh-Durham in November; and Orange County, Calif., in January 2025, Cirium Diio schedule data shows.
The reductions bring to an end a pandemic experiment for American that peaked at nonstop flights from Austin to more than 45 cities in early 2023.
The cuts are part of a “continuous evaluation” of American’s network, an airline spokesperson told Travel + Leisure on Monday.
“American will continue to offer customers access to our comprehensive global network of more than 350 destinations with one-stop connections,” the spokesperson added.
Other factors include the rapid airline industry growth in Austin during the pandemic and the now slowing travel recovery. American has also faced some pushback from labor groups to its expansion in the Texas capital that is less than 200 miles from its main Dallas-Fort Worth hub.
American will continue to offer flights from Austin to eight of its hubs — Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and Phoenix — plus seasonal nonstops to Aspen, Cancun, and Los Cabos.
Austinites still have plenty of flight options on routes where American is ending service. Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier in Austin, serves Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Orange County, Orlando, and Raleigh-Durham nonstop. And Delta Air Lines, which is slowly building a “focus city” in the Texas city, flies to Boston, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans (from February), Orlando, and Raleigh-Durham.
Spirit Airlines also flies from Austin to Las Vegas and Orlando, and JetBlue Airways to Boston.
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