The ups and downs of air travel can feel as erratic as Austin's spring weather. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport saw a dip in passenger traffic this past March, with numbers falling 3.38% since the same time last year. According to the City of Austin official reports, 1,851,308 travelers passed through the gates this March, down from March 2024's figures.
When breaking down the March 2025 numbers, Southwest Airlines carried the bulk of passengers – at 777,291 – but even that impressive count reflected a 5.5% decrease whereas United Airlines, with 243,692 passengers, saw a modest increase of 2.7%, and Frontier Airlines probably had the best month considering their passenger total skyrocketed by 337.4% even though some airlines like American faced a steep 21.1% drop and JetBlue plummeted by 66.8%, bringing up concerns about the volatility of air travel preferences.
It isn't all turbulence, however, as cargo transit has shown a marginal upward trend. March's air cargo weight totaled over 25 million pounds, marking a slight 0.66% increase from last year. The escalation is even more pointed in the international sector, with 3.5 million pounds of cargo moving through Austin's international thoroughfare, boasting a 52.88% rise.
Certain carriers such as Air Transport International and Atlas Air have had their cargo loads climb up the scales with increases of 7% and 13.9% respectively, setting them apart against Federal Express, which saw a substantial decline of 41.8% the importance of these numbers is dual-fold not only do they provide a snapshot of the airport's logistics performance they also serve as a bellwether for Austin's broader economic weather, hinting at whether we may expect sunny skies or storm clouds on the horizon.
Looking at the January to March quarter, the pattern shows a persistent decline in passenger traffic, down 4.94% from the previous year. The total number of enplanements for the quarter was calculated at 2,291,083, a 4.71% contraction. In contrast to the downward trend in passenger figures, cargo over January-March stretched to 65 million pounds, albeit a 9.73% decrease compared to the previous year.
Despite the occasional bumps, the airport's operations are still a bustling hive of activity. General Aviation racked up 10,400 operations, a minor slump of just over 1%. Total combined aircraft operations for the quarter reflected a similar downshift, with a 2.39% dip. These operational fluctuations are perhaps reflective of a shifting industry, where flux has become the only constant for Austin's aviation scene.
