CVG Airport on Thursday celebrated two milestones with Southwest Airlines: The launch of its first nonstop flight to Austin (AUS) and its ninth anniversary as a carrier at CVG.
Passengers on the inaugural Austin flight enjoyed Southwest-branded cookies, a custom theme song and a prize drawing for seven days of free parking at CVG.
“We’re so excited to introduce our customer base in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati to the great state of Texas and all the connections they can make through Austin to places out west,” said Noel Curry, CVG station manager for Southwest.
He wore a cowboy hat and shirt for the flight, which he himself was taking. Traveling with him was a Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati themed gift for his counterpart in Austin: New Riff bourbon, Reds gear and CVG Airport socks.
Gate agents wore similar Texas-themed ensembles, and a song written by a Southwest employee about the Austin-Cincinnati connection played over the loudspeaker while passengers waited to board.
Many were gleeful about the new nonstop route.
“I am so excited about this direct flight. I have family in Austin, and I’m going to my niece’s wedding,” said Carol Norris of Troy, Oh., who was wearing a cowboy hat and Texas t-shirt. “We are so fired up. We picked the right day!”
CVG held a random prize drawing before boarding, with the winning passenger receiving seven days of free parking at CVG.
With the addition of service to Austin, Southwest has grown its 2026 summer schedule at CVG by more than 40 percent over the previous summer in terms of flight volume and seat capacity.
Southwest now provides year-round service from CVG to Austin, Nashville, Baltimore, Denver, Orlando, and Chicago (Midway), in addition to seasonal service to Phoenix, with the frequency of flights increasing from 2025 to 2026.
“We’re always working to identify opportunities that give our customers even more choices when they travel,” said Daniel Jones, vice president network planning at Southwest. “Our new route between Cincinnati and Austin connects two growing cities with even more potential.”
“Southwest continues to demonstrate its commitment to CVG and our region with this new Austin route,” said Larry Krauter, chief executive officer, CVG. “Its expanded presence here, now offering seven destinations with increasing frequency, reflects the demand and vitality of our market. Austin is a great addition as the two cities share much in common as growing tech hubs and vibrant cultural centers.”
CVG Airport