Southwest Airlines celebrates opening of new crew base at Austin's airport

AUSTIN, Texas - Southwest Airlines and Austin city leaders gathered Wednesday morning at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to celebrate the opening of the airline’s new crew base, marking a major milestone for both the company and the city.

The backstory:

"It is bringing high-paying jobs to Austin. All of our flight attendants are covered under the union contract, and we are extremely excited," said Sam Wilkins, vice president of the Southwest Flight Attendant Union.

The new crew base is expected to bring more than 2,000 jobs for pilots, flight attendants, management, and support staff, with an average salary of $180,000, according to company officials.

"I talked to a few of them today, and they’re ecstatic. What it means is they don’t have to get on a plane in Austin and then fly to Dallas or Nashville or wherever to start their trips — their trips will now start in Austin," said Lynn Lunsford, spokesperson for Southwest Airlines.

Previously, crew members based in Austin had to fly to another city to start their work trips and then catch a return flight home after their shifts. Now, they can start and end their workdays in Austin, a change that Southwest says will bring greater convenience for employees.

"This is life-changing for them. They are no longer going to have to commute to work or commute home after they’ve flown a trip," Wilkins said.

Dig deeper:

Southwest is the largest carrier at Austin-Bergstrom, airport officials said. The investment comes in response to Austin’s rapid growth as both a city and a travel hub.

"Southwest has chosen Austin as a place where we want to concentrate a significant amount of our corporate assets," Lunsford said.

For passengers, the new base means more flights, smoother operations, and fewer stops to reach their destinations.

"As we continue to grow there, you’re only going to see more opportunities open up to fly to places that previously you’d have to go to, like DFW or someplace and change planes to get to," Lunsford said.

Currently, Southwest operates 10 gates at Austin-Bergstrom and plans to increase that number to about 18 over the next few years. The expansion could help double the number of daily flights for the airline in Austin.