1. I would not depend on a 36 minute connection late in the day. Flights from AUS-IAH are frequently delayed later in the day due to late afternoon thunderstorms in IAH and other things.

2. For now, there are three nonstops per day from AUS to EWR. The mid-afternoon flight is gone and they now have a midday flight at 12:14 and an evening flight at 5:35. It's about time, as the loads on these flights have always been high. However, the current schedule beyond year-end shows it back to two flights per day.