AUSTIN (KXAN) — Delta Air Lines will soon offer nonstop service between Austin and New Orleans.
Flights will operate twice daily beginning Feb. 27. An airline spokesperson said the route will launch as part of its Mardi Gras special event package, and service will then remain yearround.
Flights will depart AUS at both 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Return flights will leave New Orleans at both 10:15 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Flights will operate on Embraer 175 aircraft by SkyWest Airlines, which operates as Delta Connection.
"New Orleans is a top destination from Austin, and connecting these two cities adds to Delta's growing momentum in both communities," an airline spokesperson told KXAN.
Southwest Airlines currently operates an Austin-New Orleans route. American Airlines also flies the route, but the airline announced it will discontinue it in October.
Ghizlane Badawi, CEO of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, called the new route "another exciting expansion."
"The timing of this frequency increase is perfect for Austinites and Central Texans traveling to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and Spring Break," Badawi said. "We can’t thank Delta enough for their continued investment into our community."
Delta has launched several new routes from Austin in recent months. Service to Nashville, McAllen and Midland/Odessa began in April 2024, while flights to Harlingen are set to begin Oct. 7.
So far in 2024, Delta accounts for about 14% of all passengers at AUS, making it the third-largest airline at the airport behind Southwest and American. More than 1.5 million passengers flew in our out of Austin on a Delta flight between January and June.
