Austin Bergstrom Airport (AUS) Flights & Information

The state capital of Texas deserves a modern and impressive airport serving one of the largest states in the U.S. However, Austin Bergstrom Airport (AUS) is bursting at the seams as its popularity grows, and plans for a terminal expansion cannot happen soon enough. This means that your AUS experience should involve some extra time and planning so that you will not find yourself in long lines or even missing your flight. This self-proclaimed “weird” and music-loving city is ready to rock and roll, but its airport is still working out the kinks. Here’s what you need to know to successfully navigate AUS.

Terminal layout

AUS, the third busiest airport in Texas, is divided into two terminals: Barbara Jordan Terminal (used by most airlines) and the South Terminal (used by two low-cost carriers: Allegiant and Frontier).

When the new terminal opens, it will be connected to the Barbara Jordan Terminal. The airport has a lot of history. It used to be Bergstrom Air Force Base, but once it closed, the city bought the land to use it for commercial airport flights.

There are three security lanes in the main terminal. Log jams are only slightly aided by both CLEAR and TSA PreCheck lanes, which can also have long lines in the early morning rush hour.

While an extension is underway for the main terminal, it will take more than a decade. For now, expect this airport to be packed from morning to night. Luckily, the airport tries to make the experience quite pleasant.

Live music often entertains travelers as they pass through with a full music schedule available online. The airport even built a stage in the terminal for performers, which is fitting for the “live music capital of the world,” as the city is known. There are more than 1,000 performances in the airport each year.

It’s not just music, but art, too. Temporary exhibits as well as a permanent collection of statues, paintings and design pieces hang in the landside and airside areas of the terminal.

Also, several shops have self-checkout or even self-service vending options to speed things along and reduce lines. There’s even a coffee robot machine.

A growing route map

Austin is not a hub for any airline, but instead has been a bustling spoke for carriers. However, in the past decade, competition has heated up, and airlines like American and Delta have made a go at developing the airport into a focus city.

American even went so far as developing a small hub operation here to relieve the airline’s major Dallas/Fort Worth hub to the north. This means there are numerous American flights that arrive around the same time to allow passengers to connect to other flights within its network.

While it has slowed the growth in Austin due to lack of space in the terminal, there are still a lot of flights from American Airlines as well as Delta at AUS. Southwest Airlines is the other major carrier with plenty of flights to various domestic destinations and the largest at the airport.

Beyond the long list of domestic cities, AUS has numerous international flights to cities like London Heathrow on British Airways, Amsterdam on KLM, Frankfurt on Lufthansa, Panama City on Copa Airlines and Mexico City on Aeromexico. Hawaiian Airlines also flies to its main hub of Honolulu.

Lounges

Before a flight from AUS, there are plenty of lounges in which to relax, but they can be packed to the gills. If you arrive during slower periods, the lounges here can be a pleasure. While all three major U.S. carriers have a lounge at AUS, only two are worth visiting.

Delta Sky Club

The Delta Sky Club is the largest (and newest) of these lounges and has the most intriguing design. Its glowing, circular cocktail bar, an al fresco SkyDeck facing the planes and hot food buffet are key features of this lounge.

If you are starting your journey in Austin, however, keep in mind that you cannot access the lounge until three hours before departure. Although if you are connecting between Delta flights in Austin, you can use the lounge at any time during your transit.

While I do find it atypical, the art and design of the lounge is very much in line with Austin. It includes graffiti-style murals that fuel the “Keep Austin Weird” theme for which the city proudly promotes.

Chase Sapphire Terrace

Facing the runway, this is a smaller version of Chase’s Sapphire airport lounges. Like the rest of the airport, space constraints meant they could not roll out a full lounge.

Grab-and-go snacks, an open bar and great views of the airport from the outdoor terrace make this a worthy choice if you have the right credit card for access.

Here’s a fun fact if you do not have access to either of these lounges. There is an outdoor viewing deck at Salt Lick. It is a place with picnic tables and umbrellas where restaurant patrons can enjoy a beer or food while watching the planes. No lounge membership required!

Food and drink options

If you arrive to the airport hungry, you won’t be disappointed. AUS has several dozen restaurants, bars and shops to choose from while waiting for your flight.

Earl Campbell’s Taco Truck has tasty brisket bowls and barbacoa tacos that are perfect to take away for the flight. Several venues sell freshly made vegetable and fruit juices, protein smoothies and other healthy drinks. On the opposite end of the spectrum, several wine bars and craft breweries fill the terminal, too.

According to airport data, there are nearly 75,000 bowls of brisket served at the terminal each year. Looking for a breakfast taco? There are more than 1.6 million prepared each morning.

The fresh salsas at Tacodeli are delicious enough for seconds. Sushi, grain bowls and Hill Country barbecue are also on the terminal’s restaurant menu.

For dessert, I like Amy’s Ice Creams, which is local to Austin and famous for its Mexican vanilla flavor. They also have more frozen yogurt and other desserts.

Time for a laugh

Beyond art and music, there is another way to pass the time before your flight. Head to the public restroom where the mirrors in the female bathroom have stenciled big hair (famous in Texas) designs or cowboy hats in the men’s room. It is a fun place to snap a photo.

How to get to Austin Airport

All of the standard rideshare, taxi, limousine and shuttle services operate to the airport. There is also public transportation via the CapMetro system. Route 20 Manor Road/Riverside bus operates from the airport every 15 minutes during peak travel hours. This is the cheapest option, but it makes many stops along the way.

If driving your own car, parking decks aplenty are available with those closer to the terminal more expensive than those that require taking a shuttle. On the top level of one parking garage, valets park cars for the ultimate convenience.

One of my favorite tips for dropping off passengers at the airport is to use the arrivals area rather than the departure level. There is much less traffic there, and if you only have carry-on bags, you can be quickly on your way after using the escalator up to departures.

All of the major car rental companies operate at the airport with their offices within walking distance from the arrival level and across the main road. It is helpful that there is a gas station on airport property if you need to refill your tank, but take note that rates here are much higher than in town.

Where to stay at Austin Airport

There are several hotels near the airport, but the two closest options are Hilton Austin Airport and Hyatt Place Austin Airport. The former has a circular shape with a courtyard in the center, giving it a doughnut shape. Not purpose-built as a hotel, this was once home to the 12th Air Force (another repurposed military facility at Bergstrom).

If you are looking for a cheaper parking option, especially key on longer trips, I recommend staying in an airport hotel one night before your flight and booking a package that includes parking. I usually save a substantial amount by doing this.

Construction at the airport

Take note that one of the three checkpoints for security in the main terminal (#3) is closed through 2026. Another key point to know (before you walk all the way down there) is that only the central checkpoint (#2) has CLEAR and TSA PreCheck.

It is not just inside the terminal where construction is underway. The airport is also adding a midfield taxiway to speed up the movement of aircraft after they land and need to reach their gates.

The addition of more parking garages and a new ground transportation center (to ease the shuttle and rideshare traffic from the arrivals level) are also in the works, but still several years away.