Austin to Los Angeles is the USA's 22nd largest market in November when measured in non-stop flights. There are 416 departures each way and up to 15 flights will take off in each direction daily. Not only is the airport pair Austin's largest, but it is also served non-stop by a whopping seven airlines.

Big growth from Austin to Los Angeles

The 1,242-mile (1,998km) link from Austin to Los Angeles is on a roll. Flights have almost doubled in the past decade, analyzing Cirium schedules information indicates, while seats for sale have grown by a solid 114%. Austin also has non-stops to Burbank, Long Beach, and Orange County.

For years, Austin-Los Angeles was about two airlines: Southwest and American. That changed with the arrival of United in 2011 and Delta in 2014. Then came ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit in 2019, JetBlue in 2020, and Alaska in March 2021.

No wonder 2021 is set to be the best year yet in terms of offered output, consumer choice, and lower fares, with one-way base fares available from just $23. However, it'll be interesting to see whether JetBlue sticks around, as its Vice President of Network Planning recently said that "a lot" of the routes it has added since the pandemic began won't stick around.

Austin to Los Angeles how has the market changed_
The airport pair has benefited from the arrival of Alaska, Spirit, and JetBlue since 2019. Source of data: Cirium.

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Seven airlines now operate

With over a one-quarter share of flights (27%), American is the market leader on the airport pair. It has increased its offering versus November 2019 by adding 5% more flights. However, of incumbents, Delta added the most on a percentage (+22%) and absolute basis (16 extra).

The growth of American and Delta – but especially the entry of Alaska, JetBlue, and Spirit – means that three in ten additional flights are now available. Indeed, Austin to Los Angeles has 416 departures in the current month – an average of about 14 a day – marginally more than Chicago O'Hare to Nashville and Philadelphia to Boston.

  • American: 113 depts. from Austin to Los Angeles in Nov. by the A319, A320, B737-800
  • Delta: 87; A320
  • United: 59; A320, B737-900ER, Embraer 175
  • Southwest: 59; B737-700, B737-800
  • Alaska: 51; Embraer 175, A320
  • JetBlue: 24; A320
  • Spirit: 23; A320ceo and neo
Los Angeles to Austin
When writing, five flights with five airlines are in the air from Los Angeles to Austin. These include AS3315, operated today by N171SY, a SkyWest Embraer 175. Image: Radarbox.com.

Austin's route map has increased by 40%

Los Angeles is one of 81 routes from Austin this month, up by 40% (!) versus November 2019, Cirium confirms. The Texas capital has experienced massive growth in 2021, despite or rather because of the pandemic. American is partly responsible. After years of minimal growth at Austin, it has significantly grown its presence.

American A319
American Airlines said Sunday's cancellations were due to bad weather and ATC initiatives to regulate traffic. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

21% more flights than Austin's #2 market

Los Angeles has jumped from third place to first. It has, for now, cemented its lead over Denver, despite the Colorado route also having more non-stops than previously. Of those in the top-10, shown below, six now have more flights. Aside from Los Angeles (+29%), Las Vegas stands out (+29%), and so does JFK (+39%).

  1. Los Angeles: 416 November departures from Austin
  2. Denver: 343
  3. Dallas Fort Worth: 337
  4. Atlanta: 294
  5. Chicago O'Hare: 277
  6. Las Vegas: 250
  7. Houston Interncontinental: 235
  8. Dallas Love: 213
  9. JFK: 211
  10. Phoenix: 204

Have you flown through Austin this year? Share your experiences in the comments.