AUS Data Hub: Passenger totals, busiest months and new flights in 2024

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — After two record-setting years in a row, 2024 is likely to be another incredibly busy year at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Last year saw a little more than 22 million passengers fly in and out of AUS, more than 1 million more than the previous record, set in 2022.

KXAN is keeping track of all the numbers. Follow along with our interactive charts below.

What’s the busiest year on record?

2023 was a record year at AUS, by far. More than 22 million passengers boarded a flight in or out of the airport, more than 1 million more than the previous record set in 2022.

For 2024, we have passenger totals for January through August at this point. More than 14.5 million passengers have been reported so far, about 20,000 more than this time last year.

What’s the busiest month on record?

May 2024 stands as the busiest month ever at AUS, with almost 2.07 million passengers. Only seven other months have seen more than 2 million passengers: July 2023, October 2023, July 2024, May 2022, June 2024, June 2023 and October 2022.

We’re keeping track of the monthly passenger totals in 2024 in the chart below.

Last year, nine months set new records. So far this year, January, March, July and August just missed out on setting monthly records, while February, April, May and June set new records. The May total was an all-time record for the airport.

What’s the busiest day on record?

Oct. 21, 2024, stands as the current busiest day on record, with more than 44,000 passengers screened through TSA. The spike in passenger totals came as travelers left Austin after F1 weekend and the University of Texas home football game against Georgia.

Only two other days in history have broken the 40,000 passenger mark, both being Mondays in October after F1 weekend.

Days during SXSW, Spring Break and Austin City Limits music festival also feature in the top 10 busiest days on record.

Which airline carries the most passengers?

Southwest Airlines is the largest airline operating at AUS in terms of passenger traffic. The airline accounts for 41.5% of all passengers so far this year.

American Airlines comes next, accounting for 20.3% of passengers. Delta Air Lines accounts for 14.8%, while 11.5% of passengers flew on United Airlines. Alaska Airlines is in a distant fifth place, accounting for 3.6% of passengers.

Which airlines are seeing the most growth?

The chart below shows how passenger totals have accumulated through the year. Use the drop-down menu at the top to select a specific airline.

The chart below shows year-over-year growth in passenger totals. If a month is colored green, passenger totals were higher in 2024 than the same month in 2023. If red, the number of passengers decreased.

The chart below shows how passenger totals in 2024 compare to 2023. If an airline has a green box in a certain month, it means the airline saw an increase in passengers compared to the same month in 2023. If the box is red, the airline saw a drop in passengers that month.

For example, Delta Air Lines saw a 15% increase in passengers in January 2024 compared to January 2023. Meanwhile, the number of passengers flying with Spirit Airlines dropped by 65%.

What new routes are coming in 2024 and 2025?

Several airlines have launched or announced new routes in 2024 and 2025. We have a running list in the tables below.

If a route is brand new to the airport, it will be highlighted yellow in the right-hand column. Others listed in the table are new routes for a specific airline, but the route is already offered by a competing airline.

Here’s some of our previous reporting on the new routes coming to AUS in 2024 and 2025:

• Southwest Airlines launching nonstop from Austin to Puerto Rico next year
• Mexican airline brings new international route to Austin in March 2024
• Air Canada brings another new international route to Austin in 2024
• Southwest Airlines to fly nonstop from Austin to Boston beginning in June
• Allegiant launching new nonstop from Austin to Oregon in May
• Delta Air Lines expanding at Austin airport, adding three new nonstop routes in 2024
• Frontier to launch new nonstop route from Austin in May
• Delta to launch new nonstop from Austin to Harlingen in October
• Southwest to start seasonal service on Austin route that Allegiant is cutting
• Southwest to launch 2 new nonstops from Austin in March 2025
• Delta Air Lines to launch nonstop Austin-New Orleans route in February 2025
• Frontier Airlines to launch Austin-Atlanta nonstop in October
• Delta Air Lines to launch five more new nonstop routes from Austin in 2025

What routes have been canceled in 2024?

More than 30 nonstop routes from AUS have been canceled so far this year. The vast majority of those are by American Airlines, which announced in November 2023 that it would cut several routes between January and April. The airline later announced several additional routes would be canceled in October.

Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Southwest Airlines and Virgin Atlantic have also canceled routes in 2024.

Here’s some of our previous reporting on the canceled routes from AUS in 2024:

• Virgin Atlantic to suspend Austin-London route in January
• Here are the 21 routes being cut by American Airlines at Austin’s airport
• Alaska Airlines cancels nonstop route between Austin and Boise
• Alaska Airlines cuts Austin-California route citing low demand
• JetBlue to discontinue Austin nonstop to Florida in May
• AUS loses another route as Southwest announces closure of operations at Mexican airport
• Allegiant to discontinue seven nonstop routes from Austin as part of base closure
• American Airlines to end Austin-Indianapolis nonstop route in August
• American Airlines cuts another five nonstop routes from Austin-Bergstrom
• American Airlines discontinuing 4 flights from Austin

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