With Airlines Expanding in Austin and More Flights to Mexico — Here Are the Airline Routes We're Most Excited About in March

03.03.2025 - 17:21 / travelandleisure.com

Break out the swimwear, put on the sunglasses, and get ready for spring break. As we begin to throw off our winter blues and seek out warmer climes in March, airlines are ready with a bevy of new routes.

In Travel + Leisure’s latest highlights of the most exciting new routes, March sees a flurry of activity in Austin, more options to Mexican beaches, and new links to Europe.

Few cities saw the growth of Austin over the past few years. The metro area population increased nearly 8% from 2020 through 2023, among the fastest of large cities nationally, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And many of those people want to travel. Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines step up in March with seven new nonstops, including to sunny Orlando, Panama City, Fla., and Phoenix.

Delta’s latest addition to its growing Austin base is Panama City, Fla., with a daily flight from March 9. Economy fares start at $289 one way for the nearly two-hour flight that departs Austin around 12:30 p.m. and lands in Panama City just in time for happy hour.

Frontier is piling on with four new routes from Austin this month. Beginning March 6 and 7, the discounter will connect the Texas capital with Chicago O’Hare, Cincinnati, Orlando and Phoenix. Fares before the airline’s plethora of fees range from $59 one way to Chicago to $79 one way to Cincinnati. Frontier will serve Orlando from Austin on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; Chicago on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; and both Orlando and Phoenix on Mondays and Fridays.

And Southwest, the largest airline by a mile in Austin, will add new nonstops to Milwaukee and Reno. Beginning March 6, it will link Austin to Milwaukee at 3:20 p.m. on weekdays, and to Reno at 2:15 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Milwaukee fares start at $139 one way and Reno fares at $182.

Southwest opens two new nonstops to the Mexican beach resorts of Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta this month. On March 8, flights from Nashville to Los Cabos takeoff at 11:20 a.m. for the four-and-a-half hour trip, and from Sacramento to Puerto Vallarta at 8:25 a.m. for the three-and-a-half hour trek. Both routes operate on Saturdays with fares starting at $244 one way.

And Aeromexico is giving denizens of the Valley of the Sun a new option to Mexico City’s diverse cultural scene, delicious food, and historic sights. Daily flights depart Phoenix just before 2 p.m. and arrive in Mexico City just after 6 p.m. beginning March 30. Economy fares start at $173 one way.

American Airlines, Lufthansa-affiliate Discover Airlines and SAS Scandinavian Airlines will launch three new transatlantic nonstops this month. American joins its partner Iberia with a daily flight to Madrid from Chicago O’Hare on March