Why Delta Should Consider Converting Austin Bergstrom into a Full Time Hub

A Delta A220-100 at SeaTac (Jamsheed Motafram).

As the airline industry begins the long road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is one city in the United States that could become a potential battleground for airlines to compete in. That city would be Austin, Texas. Recently, YouTuber Benjamin's Aviation went in depth about why Austin Texas will emerge as the next major battleground in the airline industry and I highly recommend you watch the video to provide context on Austin's rise.

Basically, he talks about how even during the pandemic, more people are moving into the Austin and their suburbs due to their emergence as a tech hub. As more people keep flocking to Austin, eventually that will lead to a greater demand for travel in business and leisure. Due in part to the emergence of Austin Texas, I it would be the perfect opportunity for Delta to grow a hub there in order to compete in a post pandemic environment. I will explain why Delta can benefit from this move in the long run.

Increase Delta's Presence in Texas

A Delta A330Neo lands into SeaTac after a long journey from Amsterdam (Jamsheed Motafram).

With American Airlines and their Oneworld partners recently announcing more nonstop flights out of Austin starting next summer, it puts Delta in a tough position when it comes to their presence in Texas. Currently, the majority of traffic out of Austin Bergstrom is from the aforementioned American Airlines as well as Southwest Airlines. Even prior to this announcement, Delta has struggled to maintain a large network in Texas since they mothballed their Dallas Ft. Worth hub back in 2005. On the other hand, their competitors have expanded at their already established hubs in Houston IAH (United formerly Continental Airlines) and Dallas Ft. Worth (American). By making Austin Bergstrom airport their hub, this would help increase Delta’s footprint in The Lone Star State putting them on even ground with American and United. But not only will Delta benefit from this move in the long run.

Expand Austin's Global Reach

A Delta A350-900 takes off from SeaTac. If Delta can replicate their success in their expansion in Seattle, they will be able to put themselves in a good position for the future (Jamsheed Motafram).

If Delta were to convert Austin into a major hub, it would potentially allow for more of their SkyTeam partners to start planning routes there once the pandemic eases in addition to expanding Delta’s international network. For example, if Air France were to decide to fly from Paris to Austin in 2022, it would allow people in the Austin area an opportunity to fly directly to Paris from Austin as opposed to flying to Atlanta on Delta and then flying to Paris from there. With leisure travel expected to increase throughout the spring and summer as more people get vaccinated from COVID-19, it’s a perfect opportunity for Delta and the City of Austin to move forward with converting the airport into a full time hub. As a result, it would help continue the emergence of Austin Texas as one of the nation’s fastest growing cities.

Conclusion

A Delta 737-800/900 at Los Cabos International Airport (Jamsheed Motafram).

In summary, I believe that Delta should seriously consider converting Austin-Bergstrom International Airport from a focus city to a major hub in order to compete with the other legacy carriers in Texas. But what do you guys think? Should Delta Airlines look into converting Austin into a major hub? Let me know in the comments below and keep looking to the sky!