Southwest Airlines this fall will add service to Austin, Texas, to its destination offerings from Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, according to airport officials and the airline.
Nonstop service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport begins Oct. 3. The flight will operate on Saturdays and on a seasonal basis, according to Sonoma County officials.
An announcement appeared on the county’s Instagram account over the weekend. A quick search on Southwest’s online site showed bookings available for its nonstop service beginning Oct. 3 with a three-and-a-half hour flight out of Sonoma County departing at 11:10 a.m. and arriving in Austin at 4:45 p.m.
Southwest Airlines will make its debut at the Santa Rosa airport April 7, launching with nonstop flights to Burbank, San Diego, Las Vegas and Denver, the Business Journal reported Sept. 10.
The Austin flight marks the second move Dallas-based Southwest has made even before landing in Sonoma County.
The airline on Dec. 19 announced it would bump its Saturdays-only flights to Denver up to five days a week, beginning Aug. 26.
“The demand is definitely there, and advanced bookings have been noticed, and we will continue to work with them to increase beyond that,” Airport Manager Jon Stout said at the time.
When Southwest first announced in September that it would begin service at the Santa Rosa facility, Stout said the partnership with the airline had been in the works for 15 years. It didn’t happen sooner for reasons that included the airport’s runway having been too short for the carrier’s aircraft. That was resolved, and Southwest also made changes in its network and planning.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
Cheryl Sarfaty covers tourism, hospitality, health care, aviation and employment. Reach her at cheryl.sarfaty@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4259.