• This month’s hottest new routes reflect major airlines expanding their presence at Austin’s airport.
• There are also a number of eagerly anticipated European routes, including Madrid, Munich, and Oslo.
• Nearly every month more flights to Mexico have been added and this March is no different.

Break out the swimwear, put on the sunglasses, and get ready for spring break. As we begin to throw off our winter blues and seek out warmer climes in March, airlines are ready with a bevy of new routes.

In Travel + Leisure’s latest highlights of the most exciting new routes, March sees a flurry of activity in Austin, more options to Mexican beaches, and new links to Europe.

Austin’s boom gains seven new nonstops

Few cities saw the growth of Austin over the past few years. The metro area population increased nearly 8% from 2020 through 2023, among the fastest of large cities nationally, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And many of those people want to travel. Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines step up in March with seven new nonstops, including to sunny Orlando, Panama City, Fla., and Phoenix.

Delta’s latest addition to its growing Austin base is Panama City, Fla., with a daily flight from March 9. Economy fares start at $289 one way for the nearly two-hour flight that departs Austin around 12:30 p.m. and lands in Panama City just in time for happy hour.

Frontier is piling on with four new routes from Austin this month. Beginning March 6 and 7, the discounter will connect the Texas capital with Chicago O’Hare, Cincinnati, Orlando and Phoenix. Fares before the airline’s plethora of fees range from $59 one way to Chicago to $79 one way to Cincinnati. Frontier will serve Orlando from Austin on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; Chicago on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; and both Orlando and Phoenix on Mondays and Fridays.

And Southwest, the largest airline by a mile in Austin, will add new nonstops to Milwaukee and Reno. Beginning March 6, it will link Austin to Milwaukee at 3:20 p.m. on weekdays, and to Reno at 2:15 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Milwaukee fares start at $139 one way and Reno fares at $182.

Three new Mexico options

Southwest opens two new nonstops to the Mexican beach resorts of Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta this month. On March 8, flights from Nashville to Los Cabos takeoff at 11:20 a.m. for the four-and-a-half hour trip, and from Sacramento to Puerto Vallarta at 8:25 a.m. for the three-and-a-half hour trek. Both routes operate on Saturdays with fares starting at $244 one way.

And Aeromexico is giving denizens of the Valley of the Sun a new option to Mexico City’s diverse cultural scene, delicious food, and historic sights. Daily flights depart Phoenix just before 2 p.m. and arrive in Mexico City just after 6 p.m. beginning March 30. Economy fares start at $173 one way.

New Madrid, Munich, and Oslo flights

American Airlines, Lufthansa-affiliate Discover Airlines and SAS Scandinavian Airlines will launch three new transatlantic nonstops this month. American joins its partner Iberia with a daily flight to Madrid from Chicago O’Hare on March 30. The eight-hour flight takes off from Chicago at 9:55 p.m. on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and lands in the Spanish capital at 12:55 p.m. the next day. That’s early enough to swing by the world-class Museo Nacional del Prado and grab tapas afterwards.

Discover will debut the only nonstop between Orlando and Munich on March 30. The nine-and-a-half hour flight takes off from Florida at 11:25 p.m. on an Airbus A330 and lands in Munich mid-afternoon the next day. Flights operate on Thursdays and Saturdays.

And SAS is building up its links with partner Delta with a new nonstop to New York’s JFK airport from Oslo. Beginning March 30, the flight takes off from JFK at 5:10 p.m. on an Airbus A321LR — a longer-range variant of the popular A321neo — and lands in Oslo just after 6 a.m. the next day. Economy fares for the new flight start as low as $615 one way.

Three new convenient Washington, D.C. options

Alaska Airlines, American, and Delta all debut new longer flights from Washington, D.C.’s convenient Reagan National Airport (DCA) in March. Alaska will launch the airport’s only nonstop to San Diego on March 18. The daily flight takes off from Washington at 8 a.m. and lands in Southern California five-and-a-half-hours later at 10:35 a.m. Economy fares start as low as $129 one way.

American debuts Reagan National’s only nonstop to San Antonio on March 2. The daily flight departs Washington at 7:45 p.m. and lands four-hours later at 10:45 p.m. in the Texas metropolis. Economy fares start as low as $119 one way.

And Delta launches a nonstop to its Seattle hub from the close-in airport on March 9. The daily flight takes off from Washington at 4:40 p.m. and lands six-hours later on the West Coast at 7:40 p.m. Economy fares begin at $144 one way.