American Airlines adds Austin flights to Jamaica, Cozumel

American Airlines announced Friday that it will add year-round service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Cozumel, Mexico and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The flights will begin on June 11.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two getaways famous for their beaches will soon become easier to reach for people flying out of Austin.

American Airlines announced Friday it will add year-round service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Cozumel, Mexico and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The flights will begin on June 11. The airline noted these will be the company's seventh and eighth international routes offered from Austin.

Flights from Austin to Cozumel will happen on Saturdays at the following times:

• The outbound flight departs from Austin at 9:20 a.m. and arrives at Cozumel at 11:50 a.m.
• The inbound flight leaves Cozumel at 12:30 p.m. and gets back to Austin at 3:20 p.m.

Service between Austin and Montego Bay is also scheduled on Saturdays during these times:

• The outbound flight leaves at 8 a.m. and arrives in Jamaica at 11:23 a.m.
• The inbound flight departs at 12:03 p.m. and arrives in Austin at 3:53 p.m.

Travelers can start buying tickets online for these new American flights on Jan. 24.

Since the beginning of 2021, American Airlines has added 32 destinations from Austin. In total the airline offers 40 destinations from the Texas capital.

“We’re proud to strengthen our commitment to Austin by providing local customers more options to fly nonstop to popular destinations,” Brian Znotins, the American Airlines vice president of network planning, said in a statement.

The Austin Business Journal reported that Southwest Airlines will also begin service from Austin's airport to Cozumel starting on June 11. The airline will start providing nonstop flights to Amsterdam, Netherlands on March 28 after the pandemic delayed the initial launch.

Airlines are announcing these additional flights from Austin-Bergstrom, as passenger traffic bounces back from the lows at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airport recently shared new data showing that 1,590,918 passengers flew out of Austin in November. That’s an increase of 212% from November 2020’s total. It also represents the third-busiest month ever for Austin.

Virgin Atlantic, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, will begin service from AUS to London Heathrow on May 25 four times a week. It’s Virgin’s first new route in the United States since 2015, airport officials said in a press release.