Flanked by nearby hubs, AUS hangs onto nonstops.
There’s a tale, perhaps apocryphal, about the time LBJ alighted from Air Force One at Austin’s Bergstrom Air Force Base to hop a helicopter over to The Ranch. A flustered second lieutenant asked his commander-in-chief sheepishly, ‘Sir, which is your helicopter?’ Johnson shot back, ‘Son, they’re all my helicopters.’
That heart-of-Texas airbase is no more. Back in 1999 it officially morphed into Austin-Bergstrom International. In terms of passengers handled, it’s the 47th busiest airport in North America, says Airports Council International (ACI).
Don’t let the figure fool you. Despite the ranking, despite the fact Austin is bracketed by American Airlines’ DFW hub to the north, and Continental’s Bush Houston Intercontinental hub to the south, AUS is more than hanging in there. Consider, ACI ranks AUS the second-best airport on the planet among aerodromes its size.
Once a two-horse town (government and the University of Texas), over the past couple of decades Austin has emerged as a high-tech haven, a landlocked “third coast” of sorts nestled on the fringes of Central Texas’ hill country. Boston/ Austin/ Silicon Valley. That’s the destinational mantra among many flyers who draw their paychecks from high tech.
So hot was Austin-Bergstrom in 2008 that “we actually had a record nine million passengers,” says AUS spokesman Jason Zielinski. Then came the crash, the fiscal freefall. In 2009, just 8.2 million flyers frequented the place.
Couple the collapse with the H1N1 scare and Austin shed virtually all its international nonstop service in 2009 even before the year ended. Gone were flights to Toronto, Puerto Vallarta, Monterrey and Cancun.
We outline who flew what to illustrate what international routes carriers saw as most promising out of Austin. Interestingly, Austin-Bergstrom’s main international market last year wasn’t south, but north of the border. Air Canada made the run up to Toronto through September before it pulled the plug. (See Graphs)
Flights to Cancun (CUN) and Puerto Vallarta (MTY), both flown by Vivaaerobus, ended in May. Just this past June, Austin was able to re-coup Cancun when Sun Country Airlines started seasonal service on the route.
Resurrection Of The Nerd Bird
The route to Monterrey (MTY) was also flown by Vivaaerobus. Although it came in dead last among international nonstop routes from Austin, Monterrey — a prime industrial city — might be the next south-of-the-border route Austin recoups.
As for total market share, here’s a look at who held what piece of the pie in 2009. The figures come from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Things got so bad in 2009 that American Airlines actually axed its once-vaunted nonstop Nerd Bird service from Austin to San Jose, opting instead to funnel flyers over DFW to get to the South Bay.
American’s loss was Alaska Airlines’ gain. The carrier with the smiling Eskimo on the tail picked up AUS — SJC a scant week after AA ditched it. “[Alaska] showed confidence in the Austin market in a year when a lot of airlines weren’t showing confidence in any market,” says Zielinski. So well has the flight performed for Alaska that it recently added a second San Jose nonstop, rendering money-saving daytrips possible. Alaska also runs a single daily flight up to its Seattle/Tacoma hub, from whence flyers can connect to the rest of the carrier’s West Coast-centric route structure.
The move is reflective of the fact passenger traffic in 2010 is up 5.2 percent over last year. Currently, Austin boasts 10 carriers, and 37 nonstop destinations.
JetBlue is also a true-believer in Austin-Bergstrom. The airport is a focal point for the low-fare/high-frills carrier. From AUS, JetBlue flies nonstop to Boston, New York Kennedy, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Long Beach and San Francisco. JetBlue spokeswoman Alison Croyle says its Heart of Texas enclave “is performing really well.”
While their nearby hubs helped American, Southwest and Continental dominate flights to Dallas and Houston in 2009, three strong players duked it out for dominance to Denver International, Austin’s most robustly competitive route. Frontier edged out Southwest, which had a 36.4 percent slice, and United, which held onto 28.3 percent.
Two carriers comprised the competition to Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) in 2009: Southwest and US Airways, which came in second.
Indeed, even though American, Continental and Southwest are prime players, with their own connecting nexi nearby — DFW, IAH, and HOU and DAL respectively — there’s ample opportunity to book a nonstop. Some major routes are particularly competitive: American, Southwest and United battle it out nonstop to Chicago (AA and UA to O’Hare; and Southwest to Midway); United and JetBlue to San Francisco; American and Southwest to Los Angeles; Frontier, Southwest, and United to Denver; JetBlue and American to New York Kennedy (Continental flies nonstop to New York/Newark); and Southwest and US Airways to Phoenix.
A strong competitive mix is one of the things flyers like about Austin-Bergstrom — and that’s before you even start thinking about the terminal.
Pickin’ And ‘a Grinnin’
In terms of music, Austin’s city limits stretch far and wide. Hands down, it’s the best place in the world for music-lovers to sit a spell and sip a longneck Lone Star. The ethic extends to the airport. There’s live music at four different venues throughout the Barbara Jordan Terminal, Monday through Friday.
This airport’s eateries are as authentic as its music, and almost totally devoid of chain affiliation. “Passengers who are used to their Starbucks or McDonald’s won’t find that here,” says Zielinski. Most of the restaurants are local, even Schotzsky’s, which started out in the city when it was a university/government town. Locals swear by The Salt Lick, epicenter of Hill Country barbecue. It’s in the West Food Court Concourse. Not far away is Amy’s Ice Creams (yup, Creams not Cream) Tex-Mex craving can be quenched at Maudie’s also in the West Food Court Concourse. Texans take their sports very, very seriously. One of the flat-out finest airport sports bars in the country bears the name of Texas Longhorn and Houston Oiler legend Earl Campbell. The only thing limiting the bar’s utility is the hours. Located on the West Concourse, it shuts down at 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
If a longneck doesn’t work out the kinks, head to the mezzanine level and partake of chair massage therapy at Knot Anymore, or just sit and gaze out the glazed glass at the rest of Texas.
The Austin airport aces cuisine and comfort. It gets a B-minus/C-plus for business amenities, and that’s because there is no stand-alone business center. Continental’s Presidents Club is here, as is American’s Admirals Club. AUS is speckled with a quartet of free Wi-Fi kiosks at Gate 8, between Gates 11 and 12, and at the Visitors Center. Want to fire up your own machine and log on? If you’re not a Boingo Wireless member already, you’ll have to pony up $7.95 for a 24-hour pass.
As for connectivity to the city and its surrounds, while there is no light rail in this otherwise eco-friendly area, the bus will take you downtown for a buck, a cab for about $25, and SuperShuttle for approximately half that.
If you’re headed to the airport in your own car and don’t have time to waste looking for a parking space, there’s valet. Pull up to the Jordan Terminal’s upper level and leave the car with an attendant. The cost: $24 per day, tax included. The Airport Parking Garage per se is only slightly less: $20 per day. Want to save some change and still be close? Close-in Lot A runs $10 per day.
For business travelers, “close-in” encompasses more than parking location. It equates with nonstop flights, nonstops to places that matter. Despite being bracketed by nearby megahubs above and below it, Austin-Bergstrom manages to do what few such similarly-situated airports can: enjoy flocks of flights to those hubs, and a flurry of competitive bi-coastal nonstops in its own right.
Sidebar: Other Airports
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) has officially opened in Panama City Beach, FL, with service by Southwest and Delta bringing in flights from Baltimore, Houston, Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Memphis. Built on approximately 1,300 acres of a 4,000-acre site, the $318 million airport is the first commercial-service international airport to be built from the ground up in the past 15 years and is designed to achieve Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the US Green Building Council. Its terminal features seven gates, an Audubon Environmental Kiosk, two restaurants, two retail shops, business center, regional information center and seven car rental ticketing counters which include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty.
Dallas Love Field (DAL) is temporarily re-locating its cell phone lot while the airport embarks on a major makeover of the terminal. This new temporary location, just south of the original site, will accommodate 45 vehicles. It’s on the east side of Cedar Springs Road, past both the long-term parking shuttle (the Parking Spot), and the Hertz Rental Car facility. Now that the contentious Wright Amendment is kaput, Love Field is consolidating airline operations into one centrally-located concourse. The symbolic heart of DAL, the iconic vintage 1957 terminal building is also being renovated.
Kansas City International (MCI): Flying Frontier out of Kansas City and need to grab a newspaper and something to eat? No need to leave the sterile area and re-clear security. MCI is touting what it calls its “first-ever shopping area inside a departure lounge.” You’ll be able to buy magazines, papers, food, beverage and other stuff.
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL): Passage to and through Helsinki should be easier now that the first phase of Terminal 2’s re-do is up and running. Look for brighter, bigger passenger areas — as well as added check-in counters and baggage-handling capacity. HEL can now handle 43 percent more luggage.
Denver International (DEN): Is love really lovelier the second time around? CLEAR hopes so. The registered traveler company that filed for bankruptcy back in June 2009 is back in business — under new management. Now comes word CLEAR intends to reopen its Denver International Operation this fall. The company says it will honor customers’ remaining membership terms. It expects new membership registration to commence in August. The price: $179 per year. A family plan is available for an extra $50.
Houston Hobby (HOU): Headed to Houston? If Hobby is your airport, know that the close-in pocketport now sports full-body scanners. Dubbed AIT ( for Advanced Image Technology), the scanners leave little place for bad guys to hide bad things. They’re also considered personally invasive by some civil libertarians. You don’t have to submit to a body scan. Opt for a thorough pat-down instead. If you do go through the scanner you’ll have to take everything out of your pockets, even facial tissues.
Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH): Continental’s massive Terminal C now boasts an expanded ticketing lobby, shorter wait times (50 percent more check-in positions do the trick), a bigger bag-claim carousel for quicker luggage retrieval, and a new overall layout designed to flow flyers faster from curbside through security to their gates. The internal tweaking cost $65 million.
London Heathrow (LHR): American Airlines just completed an extensive revamp of its Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge in Terminal 3, at Gate H. What’s to be found at the new facility? A better business center for one — free Wi-Fi, new HP personal computers, PrinterOn global printing capability, a cyber café, portable laptop tables, as well as UK and US power outlets. For fun there are flat-panel televisions, and “spa-like” showers. Hungry? No need just to knosh at the new A Club. London’s “rhubarb” restaurants have stocked the lounges with hot and cold food you should actually enjoy.
Singapore Changi Airport (SIN): Tired of tepid travel? Boring business class lounges leave you flat? Consider the airport-as-playground. Changi International just opened what’s being billed as “Singapore’s Tallest Slide.” The pay-for-play assembly is 12 meters tall. That’s about four stories. Kids have to be tall enough to ride the thing, although adults are welcome too. For those faint of heart, there’s a shorter iteration of the slide. Both can be found in Terminal 3.