Southwest Airlines has launched its Amarillo to Austin route and folks couldn’t be happier. The longstanding project finally took the skies this week ending years of planning and negotiations and connecting the 14th largest city in Texas to the capital.
Residents of the panhandle city of Amarillo, Texas now have a cheap flight option to the state’s capital city of Austin thanks to a new route on Southwest Airlines. The new routes leave Amarillo daily at 6:10 in the morning, arriving in Austin at 7:30 on weekdays and Sundays. Return options depart at 7:55 in the evening, landing at 9:20 PM.
On Saturdays, flights leave a little later in the day, departing Amarillo at 11:05 AM, landing at 12:25 PM in Austin. The return flight is 1:10 in the afternoon, arriving at 2:25 PM.
In a statement published in the Amarillo Globe News, Dave Harvey, a Vice President at Southwest Business, offered this comment:
“We had seen enough returning business coming out of Amarillo, connecting the dots between Amarillo and Austin, that it then made sense to drop in that nonstop route. So, a lot of it was just kind of the timing and making sure that we could, in a healthy way, fill the planes”
Dave Harvey
The inaugural flight out of the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA) departed this week with 92 hopeful passengers, and was seen by the local community as a big win for Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson, who offered this statement to the Globe News:
“Amarillo has been working very hard with Southwest Airlines to make this route happen. Southwest Airlines has been partnering with us regularly, coming to meet with our chamber of commerce, government and business leaders. One of the things they heard repeatedly is that we need a direct route to Austin. This route is going to be so important for government, business and just regular travelers for their quality of life. The addition of this daily flight to the capital city of Texas not only shows Southwest’s impressive commitment to Amarillo, it also greatly expands the travel opportunities for the entire Amarillo area. The Amarillo economy is growing along with our population. The incredible vision of partners such as Southwest Airlines fosters our growth and allows us to provide the amenities our community needs to thrive and to be successful.”
Mayor Ginger Nelson
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As anyone who has visited Amarillo can attest, the more ways one is able to leave the city, the better.