Austin-Bergstrom International Airport — Local services in Austin

The Austin airport is my home airport, and while it is not my favorite, it is not bad either. Having lived in Austin for a long time, I remember the days when it was a very small airport near 51st St., and you could park in the neighborhoods outside the airport, and walk to the gate in 10 minutes from your street parking spot! But Austin has grown several fold since then and it understandably needed a bigger and better location. This is still an easy location to get to as long as you’re not commuting during peak rush-hour. The parking is simple, and for the economy parking you can walk in to the terminals from most of the lots in less than 10 minutes. Economy lot parking is affordable at $12 a day now, but it’s not the great deal it used to be 10 or 12 years ago, when it was five dollars a day and the economy lot was literally across the street from the terminal and you could walk there in 30 seconds. Generally, it’s faster and better to walk in from your parking spot than to wait for the shuttles, because the shuttles are unpredictable. Sometimes they arrive in one minute, but there have been times that I waited so long That I could’ve walked all the way to the terminal and back before the shovel came! The rental car area is a two or three minute walk from the airport terminals which is great if you need to rent a car, unlike a lot of airports where you need to take a 15 minute or longer bus ride to the airport rental locations. The food in the airport is pretty good, and is mostly a bunch of local Central Texas restaurants. For the most part, their food is not quite as good at the airport location as their real locations in town and is Grotesquely overpriced, as most airport food is. The biggest problem with the Austin airport is that they had the idea that to expand they would open a second small terminal down south. As the crow flies, it is may be only a mile or so away, but because of the way the shuttle buses need to run, it can take the better part of an hour to get between the main terminal, and the south terminal. If you are flying out of one of the two and back to the other one, plan ahead. You can leave your card either one, but if you wanna leave it at the one you’re going to be arriving to when you come home, Give yourself an hour to drop the car off there and get back to the other terminal to catch your flight out. They should’ve come up with a better plan for this. Los Angeles has a little auxiliary terminal that’s connected by a shuttle bus, which is done much better and you can get between in five or 10 minutes. Those shuttles run literally through the airport, so I don’t know if there is a way to do that in Austin, but in a case they didn’t. The other thing is if you are flying out of gate one or 32, budget yourself a little bit of time to walk from the security all the way down to the most distant gates. I would give yourself 10 minutes or so, maybe longer if you are slow walker, or if you’re gonna stop to grab something on the way. There are no moving walkways in the Austin airport to speed things up so plan...

“…I'm just sittin' out here watching airplanes Take off and fly Tryin' to figure out which one you might be on And why you don't love me anymore Right now I'm sittin' out here watching airplanes…” ~ Gary Allan (I use to sing this after I would drop Ray off at the Austin Airport when he was heading back to So Cal)

I LOVE THIS AIRPORT AS MUCH AS I LOVE BUTTERMILK PIE!!! Circa 2020 to the end of 2022, I lived 20 minutes south of the airport in Bastrop. The Ball & Chain, Ray (who was The Villain in most of my reviews this trip.) was living in So Cal. Once a month we would be flying back forth to visit each other. (Oh man, that memory, reminds me that he should go back to Romantic Interest status in my reviews again). So, we were definitely frequent visitors to AUS! I would drive straight to a long term parking lot (The Spot) jump on the shuttle and get to airport in less than 7 minutes! Lines in airport check in are super short! EASY BREEZY! In the evening this place is a party!!! It’s filled with live music (2 bands play in the evening!!!) Great restaurants and fabulous vending machines filled Gourmet foods! If you’re a shopper/money waste, like me, there’s plenty of shops to blow your money at! There’s also vending machines that sell make up, mobile devices and LEGOS!!! There’s also a spa (mani’s, pedi’s and massages are some of the services)! I usually get so nervous when navigating big city airports, like SFO & LAX. Austin Airport is a breeze to fly out of and a lot of fun to wait at! Today Ray and I are leaving the best state on Earth, TEXAS and heading back to stupid So Cal! (I’m getting choked up typing this). We got to airport early and were planning on going to the Delta Sky Club, because Ray is a Big Baller and has the fancy American Express (unlike me, he can be trusted with an Amex) and we were flying Delta. We were looking forward “…to a nice breakfast and not having to mingle amongst the rift raft…” (we say that jokingly because we kinda are the rift raft). We get to the checkin desk of the Delta Sky Club and they didn’t let us because we weren’t flying first class. Even though we had the fancy pants Amex Black card, we were reminded that we are still considered Paupers because we were only flying “Delta Basic”. (I use to fly Delta so often during my life in Texas, that I use to offer to get bumped or earn enough points to fly first class! I felt so highfalutin!) We ended up having breakfast at Parkside. (It was blah, not worth a review) Well, it’s time to board our flight! I’m singing in my head; “…God blessed Texas With His own hand Brought down angels from the promised land Gave 'em a place where they could dance If you wanna see heaven, brother, here's your chance I've been sent to spread the message God blessed...

Unacceptable Treatment by Gate Agents on Flight from Austin to LAX

Please note this is about the American airlines not the airport itself. The airport s great.

I am writing to express my profound outrage over the unacceptable treatment my boyfriend and I received from your gate agents during our flight from Austin, TX, to LAX on December 29, 2024. The behavior exhibited by Fernando and his female colleague was not just dismissive; it was shockingly unprofessional and completely unacceptable.

When we approached them with a simple question about our boarding process, we were met with disdain and indifference. Their refusal to engage or assist us reflects a staggering lack of customer care. To be forced to check our bags without any explanation while other passengers were allowed to carry theirs on was not only humiliating but also incredibly frustrating. We felt completely disrespected as paying customers, and our attempts to seek clarification were met with silence.

The situation escalated when we discovered that our baggage claim tags had been scanned under someone else’s name. This gross mishandling raises serious security concerns, especially considering that we were traveling with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry in our bags. The thought of our belongings being misplaced or mishandled is deeply distressing.

Moreover, the racial bias we encountered is particularly troubling. Receiving tags associated with an Asian-sounding name simply because my girlfriend is Asian is blatant discrimination and unacceptable in any context. Such behavior not only reflects poorly on your staff but also undermines the values of diversity and inclusion that many organizations strive to uphold.

While we did have a positive interaction with a flight attendant later in the journey, this does not excuse the unprofessional conduct we experienced from the gate agents. Their actions created a negative atmosphere that overshadowed our travel experience.

Given the severity of this incident, I am demanding a full refund for our flight. The distress and humiliation we endured are unjustifiable, and we believe we deserve compensation for this appalling treatment. I expect a prompt and thorough response addressing our complaint and our request for a refund.

We would not recommend American Airlines based on this experience, as it clearly does not align with the standards of service we expect from a reputable airline. It is crucial that steps are taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, ensuring that no other passengers have to endure a...