Southwest Airlines launching nonstop from Austin to Puerto Rico next year
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Southwest Airlines will soon be adding a new nonstop from Austin. Flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, will take off next year.
The airline will fly the AUS-SJU route on Saturdays beginning March 9, 2024. A spokesperson for the airline told KXAN the route is intended to be seasonal.
“We are excited to connect the Heart of Texas nonstop into the Caribbean,” the spokesperson said.
Southwest will also resume daily seasonal nonstop service from Austin to Charleston, South Carolina, beginning March 7. Weekly seasonal service each Saturday to Cozumel, Panama City, Florida, and Montrose, Colorado, will resume March 9.
The airline will also resume twice-weekly seasonal service to Puerto Vallarta on March 9. Those flights will operate on both Saturday and Sunday.
The announcement means Southwest will be the only airline offering direct service to San Juan from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. American Airlines previously operated the route, but canceled service in November 2022 because the route wasn’t meeting performance expectations.
Southwest is the largest airline operating at AUS in terms of passenger traffic. Monthly figures often show passenger totals higher than 700,000.
