I’m sure you’ve heard about airlines not operating in certain places anymore, and Delta is doing the same in Texas: the airline will no longer fly between Midland and Austin from November 8 of 2025. The decision is related to the low demand of passengers in this route and it’s part of a general adjustment to align capacity with real market needs. So, let’s find out more about Delta’s decision.
No more flying to Midland
Midland International Air & Space Port (MAF) will lose direct connection to Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Until now, Delta offered 3 direct flights between both cities, but demand wasn’t strong enough to sustain the service anymore.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation data, the level of demand was under 60%, which made the airline make the difficult decision of stopping its operations in Midland.
Delta’s explanation
Even though Delta reported profits in the second trimester of 2025, Delta’s CEO, Edward Bastian, explained that the company’s strategy is to adjust the capacity to meet demand. In this case, Midland’s results weren’t the ones expected.
Robin Poole, a member of the Midland City Council, reacted to the news: “While I am disappointed to learn that Delta Air Lines will no longer serve our airport, this does not diminish our commitment to ensuring that the Midland International Air & Space Port continues to thrive and meet the needs of our residents.”
Options for Midland residents
When Delta stops operating in Midland, what’s going to happen with passengers? They will still have the option of direct flights to Austin thanks to Southwest Airlines. What’s more, from the Midland Airports there are options to other key destinations like: Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Denver, and Phoenix.
This way residents won’t be left with no connection, although they will lose the option of travelling with Delta in this specific route.
What if you had already bought tickets in Delta?
If you had booked a flight with Delta in the route Midland-Austin, you should know this:
- The airline will contact you to arrange refunds.
- You shouldn’t cancel the ticket on your own, just wait for the previous step so that you can receive the refund.
- If you need to travel to Austin, you will have to book with another airline.
New destinations from Austin
While Delta is saying goodbye to Midland, it will offer its service from the Austin Bergstrom International Airport with new routes and higher frequency in some connections. Let’s have a look at some of them:
- Denver: double daily service operated by SkyWest Embraer from the 9th of November of 2025.
- Columbus: regular service with SkyWest Embraer beginning on June 7, 2026.
- Kansas City: two daily flights with SkyWest Embraer from June 7, 2026.
- San Francisco: with two flights per day starting on April 13 of 2026.
- Indianapolis: with three daily flights from the 7th of June of 2026.
To this, we need to add connections to Palm Springs and Cabo San Lucas, previously announced to be launched in the fall season.
Delta’s position in Austin
Cirium analysis, cited by View from the Wing, shows that:
- Delta currently connects Austin to 25 destinations.
- It represents 22% of the flights in this airport.
- It offers 19% of available seats.
- It makes it the second most important airline in Austin, just behind Southwest Airlines–which holds a 39% share of flights.
Delta’s decision should be useful as a reminder for travelers to always keep an eye on schedule changes and route updates, nobody wants any trouble when it comes to flying, am I right? What do you think about this exit from Midland airport?