Getting home to family for the holidays just got that much easier with American Airlines' plans to provide nonstop flights from the Palm Springs International Airport to Austin, Texas.
The announcement made earlier this month is in response to the overwhelming demand for flights experienced in 2021.
"We're excited to welcome additional service to Austin," Harry Barrett, executive director of aviation at Palm Springs, said. "Our airport continues to offer more flight options for area residents, making it easier for them to choose to support their local airport. I want to thank American for growing at PSP (Palm Springs International Airport)."
With new flight routes this holiday season, American Airlines will operate seasonal service daily from Dec. 15-May 4, as a sequel to the seasonal service offered Nov. 17-29. Those who traveled through American Airlines to Texas this Thanksgiving were able to reap the benefits of the new flight routes, according to a news release issued by the City of Palm Springs.
"American is excited to provide nonstop access from Palm Springs to Central Texas and more one-stop connections across the airline's network this summer," American Airlines Director of Short-Haul Network Planning Philippe Puech said in the city's release. "This additional flying is in direct response to the demand we saw in 2021. We look forward to connecting customers with their family and friends this holiday season."
In addition to flights to Austin, American Airlines is now offering year-round service to Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix as well as seasonal service to Chicago O'Hare. Passengers can anticipate taking their flight on a dual-class Embraer 175 aircraft offering Wi-Fi and 12 First Class seats, 20 Main Cabin Extra seats and 44 Main Cabin seats, according to the release.
As reported earlier this month, the Palm Springs International Airport officials anticipated this year's passenger count for Thanksgiving travel would be record-breaking — exceeding last year's stats by 20%. The airport advised travelers to arrive two and a half hours early if they had bags to check or they might miss their flights.
Barrett had said the airport would be busier than many locals had ever seen it and that the overflow lot had been expanded by 100 spaces to accommodate growing demands.