Southwest Airlines will begin seasonal service from Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Omaha Airport (OMA) in November of this year. Allegiant Air currently serves the route but will discontinue it early next year.

Picking up the pieces

Allegiant Air is currently the only airline operating the AUS-OMA route, but the airline announced in June that it would close its AUS base on January 7 next year, just three years after it opened.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy flying

As Simple Flying previously reported, airlines will be cutting at least six routes from their schedules. Flights to Omaha will be discontinued on October 28 of this year, along with the following:

• Eugene Airport, Oregon
• Las Vegas International Airport, Nevada
• Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington DC

Southwest’s November entry means passengers flying to OMA will experience minimal service disruptions. According to KXAN, the airline will operate the route on select Saturdays from November through January. It will continue to operate the route in February and March, albeit with reduced frequency. The airline’s current schedule is available through March 5, 2025.

A Southwest spokesperson told KXAN that the airline’s network team continues “dynamic changes to our schedule to meet the demand and preferences of our customers.” The addition of the OMA route is AUS’s third new route this year.

The airline added flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March and Boston in June. However, it also eliminated inconvenient routes at AUS airport. Earlier this month, flights to Cozumel, Mexico, were canceled. Simple Flying has reached out to Southwest for comment on the move.

Filling the gap

After only three years, Allegiant is closing its facility and abandoning its planned investment of $75 million (the figure has not yet been confirmed). The closure has two reasons.

The first reason is the airline’s reduced presence at the airport. Over the past three years, the airline has been continuously cutting its routes. The reduced capacity is due to the lack of aircraft caused by Boeing’s multiple delivery failures of the Boeing 737 MAX 8-200. These delays also caused Allegiant to reduce the number of aircraft on order.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy flying

The second reason is the closure of the low-cost South Terminal at AUS Airport, which is being demolished to make room for a new central concourse. According to the airline, the space the airport offered them was not enough to maintain the base.

The demolition of the South Terminal is not scheduled until 2026. However, the airline has decided to make a decision and abandon the base preemptively. With Allegiant’s departure, SkyWest remains the only airline with a crew base in AUS.

Southwest’s move to offer flights to AUS with reduced capacity is brilliant, as Allegiant’s exit leaves a gap in the market. Seasonal offerings allow the airline to properly gauge interest and increase or decrease the frequency of flights as needed. Essentially, taking over a route from another airline allows it to tap into an existing customer base and almost guarantee profits.

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Southwest Airlines

IATA/ICAO code

WN/SWA

Hub(s)

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Houston Hobby Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Midway International Airport, Oakland International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Year of foundation

1967

Managing Director

Robert Jordan

country

United States

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