dailynewsnblog
We are approaching the Northern Hemisphere winter season, which will begin later this month, but airlines are already looking ahead to next summer. They have started announcing their schedules for the upcoming summer season, and Dallas-based 
Southwest Airlines also recently unveiled its plans.
The airline announced 23 new or returning routes alongside numerous frequency increases, including seven new routes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Three of those seven routes are international. Overall, the budget carrier will operate its largest-ever schedule from the airport in summer 2027.
Southwest Steps Into 3 Austin Markets Previously Served By American
The three new international routes launching from Austin will serve Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Costa Rica, Nassau International Airport (NAS) in the Bahamas, and Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic. All three services will begin on June 5 and run through August 1, operating every Saturday and Sunday.
American Airlines previously operated nonstop flights to all three destinations from Austin, but cut them in spring 2024. During the pandemic boom, Austin was one of the fastest-growing tech and corporate hubs in the US. Thus, American added dozens of point-to-point domestic and leisure routes to capture more local traffic. The market, however, soon became crowded as airlines added more flights to the city, which led to intense competition and lower fares.
Location was another factor for American. Austin is relatively close to 
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), which is the airline’s largest hub. Operating flights to Liberia, Nassau, and Punta Cana from Austin was simply inefficient for American. The airline realized it made far more financial sense to funnel Central Texas passengers through DFW or Miami International Airport (MIA).
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Southwest Will Fly Its Largest-Ever Summer Schedule From Austin
Furthermore, the new international routes will complement Southwest’s recently announced seasonal service to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO), which begins on March 13, 2027. The airline also serves Cancun (CUN) and San Jose del Cabo (SJD) year-round and will bring back its seasonal service to Puerto Vallarta (PVR). So overall, it will operate seven international routes from Austin next June, compared with just two in June this year.
In total, according to aviation analytics provider Cirium, the budget carrier has scheduled 118 international one-way flights from the airport in June 2027, offering around 18,578 seats. In June 2026, it operated 77 international flights and offered 12,411 seats. Besides, Southwest is also expanding its domestic network from Austin. Its latest schedule includes new nonstop service to Savannah, Georgia (SAV), which will be the only nonstop link between Austin and Savannah.
Destination | Frequency (equipment) | Timing (local time) |
|---|---|---|
Cancun (CUN) | 2x daily Boeing 737-700 & Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 7:00 AM – 9:40 AM 10:10 AM – 12:55 PM |
San Jose del Cabo (SJD) | 5x weekly (Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) Boeing 737-700 | 10:50 AM – 11:20 AM |
Liberia (LIR) | 2x weekly (Sat, Sun) Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 11:10 AM – 1:50 PM |
Nassau (NAS) | 2x weekly (Sat, Sun) Boeing 737-700 | 10:15 AM – 2:35 PM |
Punta Cana (PUJ) | 2x weekly (Sat, Sun) Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 8:00 AM – 1:30 PM |
Puerto Vallarta (PVR) | 2x weekly (Sat, Sun) Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 9:35 AM – 10:45 AM |
San Jose (SJO) | 2x weekly (Sat, Sun) Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 10:30 AM – 1:15 PM |
It is also bringing back daily seasonal service to Portland, Oregon (PDX) and adding new seasonal weekend service to Bozeman, Montana (BZN), Sarasota, Florida (SRQ), and Knoxville, Tennessee (TYS). Overall, Southwest will operate its largest-ever summer schedule from Austin next year, with around 143 departures on peak days. In June alone, the airline has planned around 3,946 domestic and international departures from AUS, up 12% from June 2026.
Southwest Continues To Strengthen Its Position At Austin
Undoubtedly, Southwest has faced more competition in the Texas capital lately, as 
Delta Air Lines continues to add routes at the airport and has made Austin one of its key focus cities. Even so, the low-cost carrier remains the largest airline at AUS, holding more than 40% of the airport’s market share.
Earlier this year, it opened a multi-million-dollar crew base at AUS, and in late 2027, the carrier is opening its first-ever passenger lounge at the airport as it looks to attract higher-value travelers and compete more closely with Delta.
In addition, Southwest has positioned itself as the primary anchor tenant for the airport’s planned Concourse B expansion and is expected to occupy 18 gates. The expansion is expected to support the airline’s long-term goal of operating as many as 200 daily flights from Austin.
