Drew Dixon
On the heels of a record-breaking year of hosting more travelers than ever, Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) is adding more flights to its schedule.
JIA announced Thursday the airline hub will add more Southwest Airlines flights to Austin, Texas, this year. Officials with the airport also are adding flights to St. Louis, Mo., aboard Allegiant Airlines.
Both destinations will involve direct, nonstop flights. The St. Louis flights will take travelers to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. The St. Louis route isn’t so much a new one. Rather, it’s a return of the service on Allegiant. It begins again in March.
The Austin route will exchange travelers with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Those flights won’t begin until October, though. The service on Southwest Airlines will depart from JIA at 11:58 a.m. and arrive in Austin about 12:35 p.m. Then the flights from Austin will depart about 12:50 p.m. and arrive in Jacksonville about 4:15 p.m. That flight schedule will be offered every day except for Saturdays when Southwest begins the service in the fall.
“Southwest is a beloved airline with strong brand loyalty,” Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) CEO Mark VanLoh said. “We have no doubt that their service to Austin will be successful.”
It’s the latest addition of First Coast flight service being offered involving JIA and Southwest. The carrier already offers nonstop travel to Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Nashville and St. Louis. That’s on top of another addition beginning later this year as Southwest will begin Saturday-only service from JIA to Kansas City on June 7.
The new routes and flights come as JIA just marked a record-setting year for travelers in 2024.
JIA officials announced in January the airport broke records again as more than 7.6 million travelers passed through the facility in 2024. That’s up from the 7.45 million passengers who used the airport in 2023. Passenger travel in 2024 was up 2.4% over 2023, smashing the record that had already been set in 2023.
Jacksonville International Airport officials had noted expanded service and new flights were a significant part of the reason for record-breaking use of the facility.
“Our passenger volume continues to increase as Northeast Florida and the local economy grow,” Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) CEO Mark VanLoh said. “Airlines have taken note, adding frequencies, cities and larger aircraft at JAX.”
