AUS loses another route as Southwest announces closure of operations at Mexican airport
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin's airport is losing another route, as Southwest Airlines announced Thursday it will cease operations in Cozumel.
A Southwest spokesperson tells KXAN the airline would end service at Cozumel International Airport on Aug. 5. Southwest will also end service at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport and at airports in Syracuse, New York, and Bellingham, Washington.
Nonstop flights to Cozumel from Austin are currently operated on Saturdays only in March, June and July. The airline spokesperson said the Cozumel closure is effective "as we come out of the peak summer schedule."
The closure of operations at the four airports was announced alongside Southwest's financial results for the first quarter of 2024. The airline experienced a net loss of $231 million during that timeframe.
"To improve our financial performance, we have intensified our network optimization efforts to address underperforming markets," Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement Thursday.
"Our planners continue the work of shaping our flight schedule to set up our network in a way that addresses demand, best utilizes our aircraft, and supports our workforce," an airline spokesperson said in a statement to KXAN. "We’re also taking steps to restore an industry-leading financial performance that enables us to best serve the millions of customers who fly with us each week with our signature efficiency and reliability. "
The discontinuation of the route means Cozumel will no longer be served directly from Austin. American Airlines launched flights to the airport in June 2022, but they ended in January 2024 as the airline cut 21 nonstop routes from AUS as part of network evaluations.
Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Virgin Atlantic have also discontinued nonstop routes from AUS so far this year. The route cancellations mean eight destinations are no longer served directly from Austin compared to the start of the year.