With 21 million passengers, Austin airport had a blockbuster year in 2022

AUSTIN (KXAN) — We’ve known it for months, but now it’s official. Last year was the busiest on record at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to newly-released passenger data.

A total of 21,089,289 passengers were recorded in 2022. That beats the previous record, set in 2019, by more than 3.7 million passengers.

The 2022 total is also a 55% increase over 2021’s total, when around 13.5 million passengers were reported, as air travel continued its rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.


4 new routes announced for Austin airport, including 2 new international destinations

Data for December 2022 shows just over 1.7 million passengers flew out of AUS that month, a 7.6% increase over December 2021. That’s actually the lowest year-over-year increase of any month in 2022.

Earlier in the year, monthly passenger totals more than doubled year-over-year in January, March and April, and more than tripled in February.

The passenger totals mean all of the top 10 busiest months on record were in 2022.

May and October remain the only months in AUS history to see more than two million passengers — bolstered by Memorial Day and Spring Break travel in May, and F1 and ACL traffic in October.

Oct. 25 ranks as the busiest day in airport history, with 43,177 passengers.

Most airlines saw increases in passenger traffic in 2022 compared to the previous year.

Southwest Airlines saw the largest increase in the number of passengers, up by more than 3.4 million, to a total of just over eight million in 2022. American Airlines increased passenger totals by more than two million, to 5.4 million.

International carriers British Airways and Air Canada saw the greatest percentage increase in passengers, up 929% and 815% respectively. These numbers are skewed because both airlines only flew for three months in 2021 when they resumed service to AUS after the pandemic.

Among airlines that flew throughout 2021, Allegiant Air saw the largest increase, up 81% in 2022.

Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways both saw a drop in passenger totals in 2022, down 41% and 21% respectively. Frontier flew 86,000 fewer passengers compared to 2021, while JetBlue flew 89,000 fewer passengers.

Throughout 2022, Southwest remained the largest airline at AUS by passenger volume, carrying more than eight million passengers. Almost four in 10 passengers in 2022 traveled on a Southwest flight.

American was the second largest, with just over a quarter of all passengers flying with the airline — almost 5.5 million in total.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines each carried more than two million passengers, and Alaska Airlines was a distant fifth, carrying almost a million passengers in 2022.

Several airlines began service in 2022. Dutch airline KLM began its nonstop Austin-Amsterdam route on March 28.

German airline Lufthansa resumed its nonstop route to Frankfurt on April 8, after a two-year hiatus due to COVID. British airline Virgin Atlantic launched its nonstop route to London Heathrow on May 25.

Click here to see which new routes have already been announced for 2023.

AUS also saw passenger totals for some airlines from further afield. Numbers for Qatar Airways and Qantas are the result of flight diversions to AUS.

AUS by the other numbers

In 2022, there were:

23,821 T-shirt’s purchased from Tyler’s (up from 13,399 in 2021)

9,087 “Keep Austin Weird” shirts purchased (up from 5,617)

8,014 boxes of Berdoll pecans purchased

43,169 boxes of Lammes candies purchased

2,567 bottles of Me and the Bees Lemonade purchased

15,451 sauces purchased from Salt Lick BBQ (up from 8,352)

14,183 sauces and rubs purchased from Franklin’s BBQ (up from 4,367)

104,130 pounds (52 tons) of brisket purchased from Salt Lick BBQ (up from 75,390)

791,184 tacos purchased from Taco Deli, Jo’s C offee, Earl Campbell’s Taco Truck and other locations (down from 1,458,000)

1,008 live music performances (up from 248)
 

AUSTIN (KXAN) — We’ve known it for months, but now it’s official. Last year was the busiest on record at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to newly-released passenger data.

A total of 21,089,289 passengers were recorded in 2022. That beats the previous record, set in 2019, by more than 3.7 million passengers.

The 2022 total is also a 55% increase over 2021’s total, when around 13.5 million passengers were reported, as air travel continued its rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.


4 new routes announced for Austin airport, including 2 new international destinations

Data for December 2022 shows just over 1.7 million passengers flew out of AUS that month, a 7.6% increase over December 2021. That’s actually the lowest year-over-year increase of any month in 2022.

Earlier in the year, monthly passenger totals more than doubled year-over-year in January, March and April, and more than tripled in February.

The passenger totals mean all of the top 10 busiest months on record were in 2022.

May and October remain the only months in AUS history to see more than two million passengers — bolstered by Memorial Day and Spring Break travel in May, and F1 and ACL traffic in October.

Oct. 25 ranks as the busiest day in airport history, with 43,177 passengers.

Most airlines saw increases in passenger traffic in 2022 compared to the previous year.

Southwest Airlines saw the largest increase in the number of passengers, up by more than 3.4 million, to a total of just over eight million in 2022. American Airlines increased passenger totals by more than two million, to 5.4 million.

International carriers British Airways and Air Canada saw the greatest percentage increase in passengers, up 929% and 815% respectively. These numbers are skewed because both airlines only flew for three months in 2021 when they resumed service to AUS after the pandemic.

Among airlines that flew throughout 2021, Allegiant Air saw the largest increase, up 81% in 2022.

Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways both saw a drop in passenger totals in 2022, down 41% and 21% respectively. Frontier flew 86,000 fewer passengers compared to 2021, while JetBlue flew 89,000 fewer passengers.

Throughout 2022, Southwest remained the largest airline at AUS by passenger volume, carrying more than eight million passengers. Almost four in 10 passengers in 2022 traveled on a Southwest flight.

American was the second largest, with just over a quarter of all passengers flying with the airline — almost 5.5 million in total.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines each carried more than two million passengers, and Alaska Airlines was a distant fifth, carrying almost a million passengers in 2022.

Several airlines began service in 2022. Dutch airline KLM began its nonstop Austin-Amsterdam route on March 28.

German airline Lufthansa resumed its nonstop route to Frankfurt on April 8, after a two-year hiatus due to COVID. British airline Virgin Atlantic launched its nonstop route to London Heathrow on May 25.

Click here to see which new routes have already been announced for 2023.

AUS also saw passenger totals for some airlines from further afield. Numbers for Qatar Airways and Qantas are the result of flight diversions to AUS.

AUS by the other numbers

In 2022, there were:

23,821 T-shirt’s purchased from Tyler’s (up from 13,399 in 2021)
9,087 “Keep Austin Weird” shirts purchased (up from 5,617)
8,014 boxes of Berdoll pecans purchased
43,169 boxes of Lammes candies purchased
2,567 bottles of Me and the Bees Lemonade purchased
15,451 sauces purchased from Salt Lick BBQ (up from 8,352)
14,183 sauces and rubs purchased from Franklin’s BBQ (up from 4,367)
104,130 pounds (52 tons) of brisket purchased from Salt Lick BBQ (up from 75,390)
791,184 tacos purchased from Taco Deli, Jo’s Coffee, Earl Campbell’s Taco Truck and other locations (down from 1,458,000)
1,008 live music performances (up from 248)

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Rock a long, red coat like Rihanna’s from the Super …

/ 19 hours ago

If you’d like to borrow a page from Rihanna’s Super Bowl style book, these long, red coats and jackets can give you a similar vibe.


BestReviews baking expert shares what you’ll need …

/ 21 hours ago

You can be prepared to make a tempting dessert with the guidance of BestReviews baking expert Andrea Boudewijn.


Forgot about Valentine’s Day? Here are some last-minute …

/ 32 mins ago

Forgot to get a Valentine’s Day gift? We have last-minute gift ideas that can make this the best Valentine’s Day ever.


View All BestReviews


Top Stories


IRS job fair this week


Inflation law may help tree trimming in Austin


APD searching for north Austin hit-and-run suspect


APD looking for suspect in robbery, shooting


MSU Shooting: Lakeway family recounts searching for …


Top Stories


More Stories


IRS job fair this week


Inflation law may help tree trimming in Austin


APD searching for north Austin hit-and-run suspect


APD looking for suspect in robbery, shooting


MSU Shooting: Lakeway family recounts searching for …


Dave Hollis, Disney exec turned self-help author, …


Missing man’s death prompts push for trail lighting


More funding headed to Texas’ utility regulator?


More Stories

Austin-Travis County


IRS job fair this week

/ 13 mins ago


Inflation law may help tree trimming in Austin

/ 19 mins ago


APD searching for north Austin hit-and-run suspect

/ 5 mins ago


APD looking for suspect in robbery, shooting

/ 37 mins ago


Dave Hollis, Disney exec turned self-help author, …

/ 8 hours ago


Missing man’s death prompts push for trail lighting

/ 7 hours ago


More funding headed to Texas’ utility regulator?

/ 11 hours ago


UT women rise three spots in latest AP Top 25

/ 13 hours ago


Next cold front brings more wind than rain

/ 9 mins ago


Police: Man dead after north Austin shooting

/ 14 hours ago


Marathon running advice from an orthopedic surgeon

/ 13 hours ago


UT men’s hoops fall a spot in latest AP rankings

/ 14 hours ago


$3B pitched to create new water sources in Texas

/ 14 hours ago


2022 was a record year at Austin airport — by far

/ 8 hours ago


Last-minute Austin date ideas

/ 16 hours ago


1 dead after crash in east Austin, expect delays

/ 17 hours ago


City Council to take up police labor negotiations

/ 3 hours ago


UT women have 7-game winning streak snapped in Ames

/ 18 hours ago


UT falls to TTU in Lubbock, tied for 1st in Big 12

/ 16 hours ago


Driussi signs new contract with Austin FC

/ 10 hours ago

KXAN Austin Video

<article class="article-list__article article-list__article–is-stacked article-list__article–has-thumb article-list__article–is-media-type" data-article-id="8391855" data-index="0" data-collection="article-list5" data-anvato-params=" Tuesday, Feb. 14 morning headlines

24 hours ago

14-foot trailer stolen from local community band …

24 hours ago

Austin Police pull body from Lady Bird Lake

1 day ago


More Videos


BestReviews


Rock a long, red coat like Rihanna’s from the Super …

/ 19 hours ago


BestReviews baking expert shares what you’ll need …

/ 21 hours ago


Forgot about Valentine’s Day? Here are some last-minute …

/ 32 mins ago


Snow thrower vs snow blower: which is right for you?

/ 22 hours ago


Best last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for him

/ 1 day ago


Best heart waffle maker

/ 2 hours ago


More reviews


More from KXAN Austin


Dave Hollis, Disney exec turned self-help author, …


Missing man’s death prompts push for trail lighting


More funding headed to Texas’ utility regulator?


TX fire station left unmanned, concerning neighbors


UT women rise three spots in latest AP Top 25


Next cold front brings more wind than rain


Police: Man dead after north Austin shooting


Marathon running advice from an orthopedic surgeon


More from KXAN Austin


BestReviews Valentine’s Day Deals


Rock a long, red coat like Rihanna’s from the Super …


Best last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for him


Best heart waffle maker


Best Cupid costume





`;

// –>


Tracking the Coronavirus


COVID-19 tracker: Cases in the KXAN viewing area

/ 7 days ago


Data tracker: COVID cases, vaccine rates across Texas

/ 7 days ago


Coronavirus Cases Tracker

Austin Weather

Current

52°

Partly Cloudy

Tonight

47°

Rain, Isolated Thunderstorm

Precip: 30&percnt;

Tomorrow

58°

Partly Cloudy

Precip: 10&percnt;

Trending Stories


APD: Body found is missing man from Rainey Street


Best taco spots in Austin, according to KXAN viewers


TX fire station left unmanned, concerning neighbors


2 TX cities rank among top 10 most glamorous in US


APD looking for suspect in robbery, shooting

Don’t Miss


RESULTS: This is the best KXAN viewer pic of January


Can I burn my tree stumps, fallen branches post-storm?


TxDMV rejects vegan license plate for ‘vulgar’ phrase


Cities offer free tree, brush disposals post-storm


KXAN launches new news podcasts



Latest weather conditions from the KXAN First Warning Weather team