Southwest to launch three new seasonal routes from Austin in March

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Southwest Airlines will launch three new seasonal routes from Austin in March 2026.

Saturday-only service to Fort Myers, Florida, and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, will both begin March 7, "connecting our customers in Austin to popular Spring Break destinations in the mountains and on the beach," an airline spokesperson told KXAN. Both routes will be new for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with no other airline operating nonstop service.

Southwest will also launch a new route to Palm Springs, California, on the same day. That route will operate twice weekly, on Saturdays and Sundays. Palm Springs is currently not served directly from Austin, but Delta Air Lines will begin its own seasonal service between the two cities on Nov. 8.

American Airlines previously flew from AUS to both Fort Myers and Palm Springs, but both routes were canceled in 2024 as part of wider cuts.

These are the first new routes announced for AUS in 2026. Various airlines launched, or will launch, 23 new routes from Austin this year, including five routes that are new for the airport.

Southwest also launched five new routes this year. Flights to Milwaukee and Reno began in March, while flights to San Francisco began in August. Nonstop service to Jacksonville is set to begin Oct. 2.