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(AUS)
April passenger traffic brought 1,865,046 passengers through the terminal at ABIA, up 121.74% compared to traffic in April 2021, while total enplanements reached 942,940, an increase of 121.17%.
(AUS)
March also saw more than 1.8 million passengers, according to airport officials. Senior public information specialist Bailey Grimmett said the traffic spike kicked off with major events like SXSW and spring break.
“In general, AUS has recovered from the dramatic decline in passenger activity and is experiencing higher demand for air travel than ever before, which can be attributed to why… April passenger numbers surpassed March,” Grimmett said.
While you’re almost guaranteed to run into lines in the airport terminal, the airline travelers chose had some bearing on the in-flight traffic when compared to April 2021.
Where traffic is up:
- Hawaiian Airlines picked up 4,176 passengers in Austin, an increase of 378.9%
- Allegiant Air picked up 33,698 passengers, an increase of 157%
- Southwest Airlines picked up 722,855 passengers, an increase of 155.1%
- American Airlines picked up 500,823 passengers, an increase of 161.7%
- Delta Airlines picked up 223,691 passengers, an increase of 101.9%
- United Airlines picked up 184,736 passengers, an increase of 95%
- Alaska Airlines picked up 83,295 passengers, an increase of 80.9%
- Sun Country Airlines picked up 420 passengers, an increase of 68.7%
- JetBlue Airways picked up 37,661 passengers, an increase of 0.4%
Where traffic is down:
- Frontier Airlines picked up 8,860 passengers, a decrease of 48.1%
- Spirit Airlines picked up 35,948 passengers, a decrease of 21.3%
Airport officials aren’t expecting the traffic to die down anytime soon but reported that so far, things have been moving smoothly as passengers arrive early, plan ahead and follow travel recommendations.
“We are extremely grateful to our passengers for working with us during these record-breaking days and ahead of a record-breaking summer,” Grimmett said.
Know before you go—check out Austonia's complete guide to the airport.
Popular
(Pexels)
According to OpenTable, seated dining in Austin has been up by anywhere from 7-59% since late March compared to 2019. In addition to being up against upward-trending traffic, reservations are also rising: OpenTable’s Mother’s Day reservations are up at least 34% in Austin compared to 2019.
Plus, the National Restaurant Association said the most common plans for tech investments included a focus on “online or app ordering, reservations, mobile payment, or delivery management,” so reservations aren’t going away anytime soon.
So why is the need for reservations in restaurants going up?
While foot traffic seems to have made a full recovery, the throes of the pandemic have left some scars on the industry. According to Yelp Austin Community Manager and born-and-raised Texan Tomas Rey, reservations are one of them.
Between Austin’s explosive growth in the past few years and dust settling after the pandemic had restaurateurs constantly juggling changing restrictions, Rey said one of the reasons Austinites are seeing an increased need for reservations is to manage losses.
“A lot of these higher rated restaurants, like four to five stars, require reservations but it's also the mom and pop shops,” Rey said. “A lot of these restaurants are just trying to stay open, and are operating day to day. It's really more of them being able to account for the ingredients they need to prep for or how many people are actually going to be there.”
While it isn’t the case for every restaurant, Rey said making and keeping a reservation is one of the best ways a restaurant can prepare, especially in times of financial strife.
“Their bottom line does make a difference for every day and reservations are a way for them to know how many people actually want to be a part of it,” Rey said. “I think this is our way as a consumer to rally support for local businesses by understanding that this is what keeps (restaurants from) overextending themselves.”
Sometimes trends drive reservation traffic
Built by McGuire Moorman Hospitality, Sammie’s shares the same managing company behind trendy restaurants like Perla’s, Elizabeth St. Cafe, Josephine House, Pool Burger and Swedish Hill.
Aaron, who declined to give his last name to avoid backlash, said walk-ins were rarely taken while he was bartending at new downtown restaurant Sammie's Italian, 807 W. 6th St.
On average, Aaron said reservations were booked three months out. Currently, the first-weekend reservation for two is unavailable until Sunday, June 5, at 9:15 p.m.
“It was very rare to walk in and be able to sit in the dining room—walk-ins would always be shown to the bar,” Aaron said. “But they would also reserve the bar if anyone wanted that, so there were nights where we had no one sitting at the bar until 7:30 p.m. because it was fully reserved.”
Reservations at Sammie’s were particularly in high demand, Aaron said, because the restaurant would only release a portion online and offer the rest to diners to book in advance at the end of their meal.
“When people would come to the restaurant, have a great time and want to come back they would have an option and opportunity to do that—we would instruct them to talk to a manager and see what we can do for them,” Aaron said. “It was kind of the Sammie’s motto and goal to be able to make someone even happier than they already were on their way out.”
Reservations are the “new normal”
While having to make a reservation used to bother him, Rey said that like using QR codes for menus, he believes reservations are here to stay.
However, if reservations are not your thing, Rey recommends being willing to make an adventure out of finding your meal, utilizing Yelp’s waitlist figure to get on the restaurant’s list ahead of time or finding a restaurant that reserves space for walk-ins, like Aba. Another trick for parties of 2 is gambling on open bar seating.
“I feel like this is just kind of the new normal when going out for dining or for libations,” Rey said.
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(Laura Figi)
There's now a whole slew of developers trying to make their mark on the capital city's downtown. With announcements of new towers coming out left and right since the beginning of the year, we rounded up some of the most prominent shaping the skyline.
Block 16, 201 San Jacinto Blvd.
(Gensler)
While Block 16 is one of the shorter office towers set for downtown with 43-stories, it's out to impress with designs that prioritize wellness and sustainability. That includes access to light and air on each floor and 10-foot floor-to-ceiling windows. Plus, a fitness facility, meeting areas and dining options. Carr Properties teamed up with local partner Manifold Development for this building expected in spring 2026.
Perennial, 204 E. 4th St
(TMRW.SE)
This 46-story office building dubbed the Perennial will have a public paseo, a nearly 30 foot waterfall and a sky garden where future tenants will have access to views 200 feet above downtown. The developers, Cielo Property Group, told Austonia they set out to create an environment that could boost moods and mental health once it's completed in late 2025.
The Republic, 401 W. 4th St.
(Neoscape)
An extension of Republic Square is coming in the form of a 48-story tower. Workers who arrive by bike will have access to a private elevator leading to storage space for bicycles and a spa-quality locker room with showers. And the developers, Lincoln Property, say future tenants can also anticipate amenities like a lounge, conference rooms and a fitness center.
321 West, 321 W. Sixth St.
(Neoscape)
Similar to the others going up downtown, 321 West will have space for residents on the upper floors. With 58 stories in total, out-of-town developers Tishman Speyer and Ryan Companies plan to have apartments on floors 22 through 54. The rest of the building, which is slated to be finished in late 2024, will have office and retail space.
Hilton Luxury Conrad hotel, 300 East Second St.
(Williams New York)
Sixty-five stories in all, this building doesn't just have height. There will also be a fitness studio, pool and spa with condos taking up floors 39 and above with a Hilton Conrad Hotel for the rest of the floors. On the ground, guests, residents and passers-by will be able to enjoy the restaurant and retail space. No estimated completion date has been revealed.
Sixth and Guadalupe, 400 W. 6th St.
(Sixth and Guadalupe)
This combination of office, residential, retail and outdoor space involves over "a million square feet of excellence" and Meta plans to occupy a good chunk of it with 33 floors leased. Currently, finishing touches are being put in place with the top-off of the development at level 66 expected for the fall. The extravagant resident side will include studios to three bedrooms, 24 penthouses with exclusive benefits, pools, a dog park and even a podcast studio. Interested tenants can sign up for pre-leasing information with projected move-ins starting in spring 2023. When it is complete, it will be Austin's tallest tower.
Name To Be Announced, 98 Red River St.
(Kohn Pendersen Fox Associates/Lincoln Property Co./WGI)
This 74-story project headed by Lincoln Property Co. and Kairol Residential could eventually become the tallest in Texas. With a price tag that could end up around $520 million, it'll include more than 350 apartments, a 251-room hotel and 686,000 square feet of office space. Trail closure notices set an estimated construction time of 64 months, according to Towers; construction had not started as of last month.
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