AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[austlar1]

I am not doing a city v/s city thing either. I love Austin. I just like to see accurate information about this city. Sometimes we just get to bragging on this place and kind of distort the facts a bit in the process. I think it is called boosterism or something akin to that. I am not one who thinks you can't love a place and still be realistic or even critical of the place. In terms of patent applications as an indicator of economic vitality (and generator of airline passenger traffic), Austin certainly ranks very, very well. it is not, however, right behind Silicon Valley in patent activity. It is several places back actually. It is ahead of DFW and Houston (not by much however) in terms of patents, and that does not mean that Austin is in a position to overtake those cities in terms of airline passenger traffic any time soon. We may have to wait a while before we board our non-stop flights to Tokyo or London from Austin, unless they are charters.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Schertz1

I did not say Austin will not get DCA service. I indicated the proposal was weak and misleading. But, no I do not think SWA will get approval.


For the record, I did not start a city vs. city battle. I agreed with a previous post. After being attacked by Jdawgboy, and even though I know better than to take the bait, I responded.

I did not attack you, I stated a fact and that was all. Of course you have your opinions and so do I and I was making a point that you do belittle Austin which is a fact anybody can look at your past posts on here to see you are not fond of Austin and that is your choice.

I do not nor care to have a city vs. city argument but I don't think there is anything wrong with standing up and making my point that it is not out of the realm of possibility that Austin may get international flights. It was your choice to respond as it is my choice to respond back to this post.

This thread is about ABIA developments and updates and the conversations about Austin getting possible international flights is a valid one. We can debate on here and that is fine but I will represent my city that I was born and raised in and state my point if I feel Austin is just being attacked just because its your general opinion your not fond of Austin and anything that pertains to Austin's success you see as overblown antics and wishful thinking. I don't go to SA threads and just blurt out negative comments. I find nowadays if you can't say anything nice about a city, don't say anything at all.

[Schertz1]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I did not attack you, I stated a fact and that was all. Of course you have your opinions and so do I and I was making a point that you do belittle Austin which is a fact anybody can look at your past posts on here to see you are not fond of Austin and that is your choice.

I do not nor care to have a city vs. city argument but I don't think there is anything wrong with standing up and making my point that it is not out of the realm of possibility that Austin may get international flights. It was your choice to respond as it is my choice to respond back to this post.

This thread is about ABIA developments and updates and the conversations about Austin getting possible international flights is a valid one. We can debate on here and that is fine but I will represent my city that I was born and raised in and state my point if I feel Austin is just being attacked just because its your general opinion your not fond of Austin and anything that pertains to Austin's success you see as overblown antics and wishful thinking. I don't go to SA threads and just blurt out negative comments. I find nowadays if you can't say anything nice about a city, don't say anything at all.

And you chose to respond to me rather than texastarkus….why? Do me a favor and do not respond to my posts and I will do the same for you.

[Jdawgboy]

texasarkaus does not belittle Austin.

Thats fine with me.

[Austin1971]

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[hmelawyer]

Originally Posted by Schertz1

I cannot figure out what college students from as far as College Station, Prairie View, San Antonio, and Waco have to do with nonstop service from ABI to DCA. Will they be inclined to drive to Austin to support this new service? I don't think this is likely. The nearly 200K students in the Austin Region would suffice and be better than building false arguments.

I have lived in Austin since 2004. However, before I lived in Waco while a student at Baylor University Law School. Not only did we sometimes drive down to Austin for flights, but friends and relatives that visited often did too. Waco lacks Southwest, which gives people a reason to drive, and also you can get to Austin almost as quick as the required connection you will have in Dallas or Houston if you fly from Waco. A decent portion of Waco overall uses AUS for flying.

[Schertz1]

Originally Posted by hmelawyer

I have lived in Austin since 2004. However, before I lived in Waco while a student at Baylor University Law School. Not only did we sometimes drive down to Austin for flights, but friends and relatives that visited often did too. Waco lacks Southwest, which gives people a reason to drive, and also you can get to Austin almost as quick as the required connection you will have in Dallas or Houston if you fly from Waco. A decent portion of Waco overall uses AUS for flying.

There is always the exception. When I said I didn't think it was likely, I meant Waco and Baylor are closer to Love Field than to Bergstrom.

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by Schertz1

There is always the exception. When I said I didn't think it was likely, I meant Waco and Baylor are closer to Love Field than to Bergstrom.

By two miles.

[hmelawyer]

Originally Posted by Schertz1

There is always the exception. When I said I didn't think it was likely, I meant Waco and Baylor are closer to Love Field than to Bergstrom.

Don't think people in Waco using ABIA is the exception. It may not be the rule, but it is a widespread practice. Love might be closer by a few miles, but ABIA is an easier commute. Especially with the new SH-130 tollway which allows those from Waco to get to the airport w/o encountering any Austin traffic. Talk in Waco is that the completion of SH-130 killed any improvements/expansion of air service to Waco.

All that said, I agree that the primary market for flights from ABIA is Austin itself. Waco and College Station provide some nice supplementation to the market though.

[texboy]

Most people I know in BCS use IAH. Its about the same amount of time drive wise and way better options in terms of direct flights. The ground shuttle service between IAH and BCS helps this quite a bit. To my knowledge there is no ground shuttle service to ABIA. Also, Continental has somewhere in the range of 5-7 daily flights into CS from Houston as does American into DFW. That being said, if they are flying Southwest, yes they are more than likely using AB because Hobby is definitely a good distance further than AB. Just a friendly observation from an (mostly) observer.

[Schertz1]

Many folks in Killeen use the Austin airport - that's about 400K people - and especially if they fly SWA. My initial post was about the weak and misleading proposal; it was not intended to upset the cheerleaders or the pep squad. FYI, SWA is now requesting that you sign a petition to bolster the proposal.

[Mikey711MN]

Buried in this announcement regarding Akron-Canton and Dayton being added to the Southwest network...

Additionally, Southwest Airlines has also announced it will begin new seasonal flying between St. Louis and Panama City Beach, and between Portland, Oregon and Austin, with one daily round-trip each beginning on June 3.

Effective the same day, the airline also will add an extra seasonal daily round-trip on two routes, between Boston and St. Louis and between Dallas Love Field and Austin.

To my knowledge, this would be the first ever non-stop AUS-PDX service. Previously Alaska Airlines served PDX as a one-stop via SJC (San Jose), but they have since abandoned the "nerd bird" route ceding it to Southwest.

[texastarkus]

Originally Posted by Mikey711MN

Buried in this announcement regarding Akron-Canton and Dayton being added to the Southwest network...



To my knowledge, this would be the first ever non-stop AUS-PDX service. Previously Alaska Airlines served PDX as a one-stop via SJC (San Jose), but they have since abandoned the "nerd bird" route ceding it to Southwest.

A little more information about this new route from the Austin American Statesman:

Starting June 3, Southwest plans to fly nonstop between Portland, Ore. and Austin...The flight to Portland leaves at 6 p.m. and arrives at 8:05 p.m...Portland at 8:30 a.m. and gets to Austin at 2:20 p.m."


http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/andersmeanders/entries/2012/04/02/southwest_to_fly_nonstop_to_po.html?cxntfid=blogs_anders_meanders

[LoneStarMike]

The main reason we're getting this new service is because of the Wright Amendment (the federal law that prohibits where Southwest can fly to nonstop out of Dallas Love Field.) Portland is outside the perimeter, so they're using Austin as the intermediate stop.

Flight 1766 starts at Dallas Love Field, flies to Austin, then on to Portland. The return flight 1194 flies from Portland to Austin to Dallas Love Field.

It's still nice to have the new service though - even if it is only seasonal - and it will help increase passenger numbers at Bergstrom.

[Austin1971]

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[Downtown_Austin]

Originally Posted by Austin1971

Published: Monday, April 02, 2012, 5:18 PM Updated: Monday, April 02, 2012, 5:32 PM

By Richard Read, The Oregonian

Southwest Airlines will launch Portland's first nonstop service to Austin June 3, for the summer season.

Awesome! This will be a perfect respite from Austin's hot summers.

[texastarkus]

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) News
For immediate release

May 7, 2012

Austin-Philadelphia nonstop announced by US Airways

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- US Airways has announced the launch of new daily, nonstop service between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport starting September 5, 2012.

The flight is scheduled to depart Austin at 7:45 a.m. and arrive in Philadelphia at 12:08 p.m. Service from Philadelphia departs at 5:50 p.m., arriving in Austin at 8:39 p.m. All times local. The service will be operated on 99-passenger, dual-class Embraer 190 aircraft.

"The launch of service from Austin to our international gateway at Philadelphia will expand travel options for our customers in Texas," said Andrew Nocella, US Airways senior vice president, marketing and planning. "In addition, we also look forward to offering travelers more access to two of the nation's top business destinations."

The Philadelphia route links Austin to its 39th nonstop destination. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has experienced 27 consecutive months of passenger growth.

Customers may book their flight through US Airways' website at www.usairways.com, by calling US Airways Reservations at 1-800-428-4322.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has nonstop service to 39 destinations in the U.S. and Mexico and served a record 9.1 million passengers in 2011. A complete listing of all nonstop flight destinations from Austin and the airlines that serve them is available on www.abia.org, click on 'airlines & flights.’ Using only wind-turbine electricity, alternative fueled parking shuttles, and reclaimed water for irrigation are among ways that Austin’s airport is more environmentally friendly. The airport was inducted in the first Airport Council International’s Director General’s Roll of Excellence for ranking among the top five in Airport Service Quality (ASQ) for five consecutive years. Austin-Bergstrom is entirely self-sustaining, generating its own revenue to cover its operating costs.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Schertz1

Many folks in Killeen use the Austin airport - that's about 400K people - and especially if they fly SWA. My initial post was about the weak and misleading proposal; it was not intended to upset the cheerleaders or the pep squad. FYI, SWA is now requesting that you sign a petition to bolster the proposal.

Funny that it was such a weak proposal. SWA has just announced non stop service between ABIA and Washington D.C. Bet you hate it when your wrong about Austin losing out on something.

[BevoLJ]

Good for ABIA!

[Jdawgboy]

Yea it was mentioned on KXAN news yesterday. With that and the new direct route to Philadelphia, Austin now has 40 non-stop routes.