AUS Base?
 

Just looking at the route map, seems like a lot of flights are starting this month out of AUS. Any chance a base will be opening up soon?

Many of the cities they pair up with AUS (or RDU) are only a couple days a week. So no..

Maybe in a few years, I certainly would not bet on it for now.

RDU will complete that second base East Cost Base! :)
Since the company desire 2 bases in each time zone...

Choosing a base has less to do with how many destinations YOU serve but a lot to do with how many destinations the AIRPORT serves. The company needs to be able to get crews to the base in a pinch, so a major airport served every day by big airlines makes more sense.

My money is on PHL (where we already have FA’s) but no time soon.

The Austin dream is just that...a dream by people who live in Texas.

It's looking probable that AUS will eventually become a base, but our network and frequency needs to grow more. I wouldn't make any short term plans (<5 years) based on it happening.

Watch, we'll all be completely wrong and everyone hired in the last 2 years will be commuting to upgrade there...

What will happen is we will bail on 75% of the routes in a year.

I can see Austin being a base long term. Low cost, no huge banks from other airlines, good weather in the winter. They can staff reserves heavy in Chicago and get a pilot anyway system wide to meet system wide disruptions from a central time zone. Yeah, I can see it.

Chief pilot in ground school said Philly and Austin were possible for future bases so that basically means neither of them will become bases.

+1. I remember the former CEO standing in ground school telling us that “MCO will absolutely NOT become a pilot base.”