Southwest Airlines will begin flying nonstop between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic from June 3, 2027. The seasonal service runs twice weekly through August 2, 2027, as reported by Aviation Week, and marks the first scheduled nonstop between Austin and the Dominican Republic.
Punta Cana is one of the Caribbean's most popular beach resort destinations and already appears in Southwest's network from cities including Baltimore, Chicago Midway, Houston Hobby and Philadelphia. The new AUS–PUJ route extends that reach to the Texas capital for the first time.
The Punta Cana route is part of a three-route international expansion from AUS announced simultaneously on October 2, 2026, alongside new services to Liberia, Costa Rica, and Nassau, Bahamas — all launching June 3. Business Travel News confirmed all three routes in its October 2026 updates and described the schedule as operating on weekends.
Southwest is building its most ambitious Austin schedule to date. OAG data cited by Aviation Week shows the carrier holding more than 40% of two-way seat capacity at AUS and operating 44.2% of seats for the week commencing October 5, 2026. When the full summer 2027 international schedule is active, Austin will have seven Southwest international routes, up from two in June 2026.
Sources
- Aviation Week — Southwest Airlines Adds New International Routes From Austin
- Business Travel News — New Airline Routes October 2026 Updates
- Simple Flying — Southwest Unveils 3 New International Routes From This Major City
Sources & references (3)
Things to do at each end of the route
Top-rated tours & experiences in Austin and Punta Cana.