Southwest to start nonstop flights between Orange County, Austin, Texas

Orange County travelers will have more options to fly to Austin, Texas, next summer. An added bonus: Fliers who book by Monday can take advantage of low introductory airfares on the new service.

Southwest Airlines plans to start daily nonstop flights between John Wayne Airport (SNA) and Austin on June 28. It’s also set to start nonstop daily service to Puerto Vallarta (San Jose del Cabo Airport) on June 7.

An airline announcement this week about the expanded service said flights still are subject to governmental approval.

In the meantime, travelers who book tickets by Monday for travel to Austin in June and July will be able to save. One-way fares start at $119. One-way fares to Puerto Vallarta start at $148 (tickets must be booked by Dec. 31).

I checked Southwest’s website and found a $236 round-trip airfare between Orange County and Austin leaving July 11 and returning July 15. A comparative check on Kayak.com shows flights (with at least one stop and therefore longer) on the same July dates starting at $340 round-trip.

Note that Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, Delta Air Lines and others fly between the two destinations but they don’t offer nonstop service, according to airfares displayed on Kayak.

Info: Southwest Airlines