American Airlines will build a new 15,000-square-foot lounge in Austin
Nov 29, 2021, 1:06 pm
#31
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
If you haven't been in the AC in Austin at 0500 lately... it's crowded. The AUS airport is functionally run by the city council, horribly managed, and built out in a hodgepodge manner - early AM security lines can routinely be more than an hour long, INCLUDING pre-check. Folks get in early and want coffee and a place to wait not at the gate.
Nov 29, 2021, 1:30 pm
#32
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP/OWE, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 880
It was (still is) just a surprise to me that a town so small as Austin with barely two commas in population, and with more people who are already moving to San Antonio instead of/out of Austin given the grossly overpriced real estate, along with the horrific infrastructure in Austin / failure to expand (like Dallas which was built on a master plan, unlike AUS), that AA wants to plop a larger lounge in that city. I guess AA hasn't always been built on sound logic. Then again, AA has a lot of business analysts straight out of undergrad influencing these decisions because of managements obsession with data analytics, so on that basis I would understand. But a 15,000sq ft lounge? Nah.
Last edited by GlobalMatt; Nov 29, 2021 at 1:35 pm
Nov 29, 2021, 1:57 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,247
Woof. Hour long security lines sounds insufferable.
It was (still is) just a surprise to me that a town so small as Austin with barely two commas in population, and with more people who are already moving to San Antonio instead of/out of Austin given the grossly overpriced real estate, along with the horrific infrastructure in Austin / failure to expand (like Dallas which was built on a master plan, unlike AUS), that AA wants to plop a larger lounge in that city. I guess AA hasn't always been built on sound logic. Then again, AA has a lot of business analysts straight out of undergrad influencing these decisions because of managements obsession with data analytics, so on that basis I would understand. But a 15,000sq ft lounge? Nah.
It was (still is) just a surprise to me that a town so small as Austin with barely two commas in population, and with more people who are already moving to San Antonio instead of/out of Austin given the grossly overpriced real estate, along with the horrific infrastructure in Austin / failure to expand (like Dallas which was built on a master plan, unlike AUS), that AA wants to plop a larger lounge in that city. I guess AA hasn't always been built on sound logic. Then again, AA has a lot of business analysts straight out of undergrad influencing these decisions because of managements obsession with data analytics, so on that basis I would understand. But a 15,000sq ft lounge? Nah.
Nov 29, 2021, 2:02 pm
#34
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP/OWE, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 880
The stats about BOS don't surprise me. Curious what DL and AA are looking at in terms of data for the expansion. My wife is involved heavily in real estate research, but I recognize this is dissimilar to what airlines analyze, hence my confusion.
Nov 29, 2021, 2:22 pm
#35
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,485
There are available data on revenue from each local market. For the amount of service and competition, you would think aus is the next coming of sfo. When in reality, it's half it's size.
Aa has made a strategic decision to build up aus against a strong incumbent in wn. It will be a while before we see how successful this strategy is. Right now, they are filling aircraft with a lot of cheap connection traffic, which is a great way to loose a lot of money.
Aa has made a strategic decision to build up aus against a strong incumbent in wn. It will be a while before we see how successful this strategy is. Right now, they are filling aircraft with a lot of cheap connection traffic, which is a great way to loose a lot of money.
Nov 29, 2021, 9:25 pm
#36
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
It's packed dense and the infrastructure sucks, and the city council couldn't manage their way out of a wet paper bag, hence ABIA.
Nov 30, 2021, 9:47 am
#37
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,087
Apple has their second largest campus in the US here. MANY tech companies make it "home" and have lots of folks back and forth to SEA, SFO/SJC, LAX, and NYC. Amazon, Tesla, Samsung (and they're adding), Indeed, Oracle... all large tech employers. Then add in government-related stuff with Austin being the state capital. Finally finance and venture capital... and entertainment (more tv/film than music these days) and you've got a LOT of folks who travel quite a bit.
It's packed dense and the infrastructure sucks, and the city council couldn't manage their way out of a wet paper bag, hence ABIA.
It's packed dense and the infrastructure sucks, and the city council couldn't manage their way out of a wet paper bag, hence ABIA.
.. The startup scene isn't insignificant either..I agree on the overall infrastructure challenges, but the toll roads have made a huge difference. I live in NW Austin, and once I get on 183 S, I have zero lights/stops until I get to the AUS airport. Amazing compared to years ago.
May 14, 2022, 6:20 pm
#39
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
If anyone, Ben or Gary will get the scoop(s) on this.
YEARS away.
Dec 30, 2022, 1:23 pm
#40
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: CoUniHound 1K 1MM, AA EXP 2MM, DL Plat, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,625
Obviously AA didn't break ground on this in 2022. I spoke to one of the AAngels earlier in the week about plans for the new club. Sounds like AA doesn't know where to put it. The plans to put it in the space near gate 14 fell through. She said they had heard that AUS may build more gates at the high end of the terminal and AA will stop using gates 1-6 as overflow. Anyway, the impression she gave me was that AUS isn't getting a new AC anytime soon. Too bad, because the club is always super crowded now with all of the new flights. The club is literally standing room only in the afternoon before the BA flight leaves.