Over 1,700 Flights In October: Where Does Delta Air Lines Fly From Austin?

Austin has become one of the interesting US markets to watch lately. Undoubtedly, Southwest Airlines dominates Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) with around 40% of the market, but Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines, also maintain a notable presence. In recent years, each has experimented with expansion in the Central Texas hub. American made a major push a few years back but has since cut back several routes. Meanwhile, Delta has adopted a different strategy and has been expanding gradually.

The airline really started ramping up the operations at the airport in December 2023, when it added 11 new routes following American’s decision to slash its schedule. By April 2024, it introduced connections to smaller Texas cities that could not be supported from its other hubs. Since the beginning of this year, Delta has added more routes to winter sun destinations and strategic domestic cities, such as Cancun, Los Cabos, Palm Springs, Miami, New Orleans, Tampa, and San Francisco. Its network now includes around 30 destinations from Austin.

Most Of Delta’s Austin Flights Head To Its Major Hubs

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According to scheduled data from aviation analytics provider Cirium, Delta Air Lines will operate 1,707 flights from Austin in October, offering more than 41,000 seats. That marks an increase of nearly 26% in flights and 22.3% in capacity compared to the same month last year. Most of Delta’s flights from the airport in October are directed to its main hubs.

The largest share goes to Atlanta, where the carrier has scheduled 294 one-way departures, reaching up to ten on peak days. Other key hubs, including New York JFK, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City will each see as many as four daily departures. This suggests that Delta views Austin as a feeder point into its broader system rather than purely a point-to-point market. At the same time, competition remains strong.

The airline will compete directly on many of the routes, especially with Southwest, which overlaps on routes such as Salt Lake City, Nashville, and Los Angeles. American also competes on flights to New York JFK. Even so, Delta’s schedule will allow it to stay ahead in several key markets.

Delta Has Added Several New Routes From Austin This Year

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Beyond its core hub routes, Delta also connects Austin to several other cities with one or two daily flights. In October, it will offer twice-daily service to both Raleigh-Durham and New Orleans. The former has been part of the airline’s network since 2017 and has gradually grown in frequencies, while New Orleans was only added earlier this year and is already seeing multiple daily departures. In addition, the schedule also includes a number of new year-round routes introduced this year.

Earlier in March, the SkyTeam member launched a new nonstop service to Panama City, followed by Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Memphis in May. The latter is the only nonstop service between the two cities. Delta also added San Francisco and Tampa as part of its expansion into key leisure and strategic markets from Austin. All of these routes will see one daily departure, and some (such as New Orleans, Panama City, Indianapolis, and Orlando), face competition primarily from Southwest.

Besides, for the fall college football season next month, the airline will offer two one-off flights, one each to Gainesville and Lexington. At the same time, one notable change from last year is the absence of Harlingen. Delta introduced the South Texas route in October 2024 but canceled it by June after consistently weak performance. Aircraft previously used on the route were reassigned to strengthen service to Midland/Odessa.

Is Austin Becoming A De Facto Hub For Delta?

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Both of Delta’s main rivals, American and United, have long relied on their Texas hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, respectively. The SkyTeam member, however, has no hub of its own in the region. But, as is evident, it is gradually expanding its network from Austin. Later this year, it will launch new seasonal flights to Palm Springs, Cancun, and Cabo San Lucas. Looking ahead to 2026, more additions are planned, including Columbus, Denver, Miami, and Kansas City.

This shows that Delta is using Austin as more than just a point-to-point market. Through its Delta Connection partners, the airline has added links to smaller cities that cannot be served from its other hubs, and has given Austin the role of a mini-connecting hub. So far this year, the airline has carried more than one million passengers through the airport, which is 12% more than in 2024. Additionally, in October, it will open a permanent flight attendant base in the city, which would further strengthen its operational footprint.

All of this underlines Austin’s growing importance for Delta. Indeed, the geography gives the carrier an advantage in reaching both domestic and international markets, yet growth is limited by congestion at the airport. New gates are not expected until later this decade, which makes it unlikely that Austin will ever rival mega-hubs. Instead, it is positioned to remain a key secondary hub that plays a key role in Delta’s broader network.