Originally Posted by Ripinpeace

AUS has no 73N operation it is overwhelmingly 320 and RJ. Maybe the one off 73N.
Southwest is losing market share month over and month and Delta is gaining and has surpassed AA. The trend is in DL’s favor.. 5 years will close that gap.

Southwest has publicly stated they’re going towards the hub & spoke model which AUS is not. HOU & DAL are. It would go against Elliot & their strategy to grow Austin when they don’t have the funds or planes after fending off AA’s AUS build-up. WN in general is foundering and doesn’t compete in DL’s business market.

The second largest Skyclub in the system will be built in AUS, the airport is mirroring ATL hub-design, DL has a massive network gap in TX, and it’s been the fastest growing DL station in the system this past 2-3 years. Even Baldoni has stated AUS is beginning to act as a connection hub and they’ve been happy with its success.

5-ish years is awhile in the airline work but not long in reality. So far, everything has logically pointed towards Delta building up AUS as a hub and the trends have been favorable. Out of any station in the system is has the best chance of being the next hub/base.