British Airways announced in September 2013 new nonstop service to Austin-Bergstrom International from London Heathrow, making Austin even more appealing to savvy meeting planners. The announcement makes British Airways the first airline to offer nonstop transatlantic service to Austin, just in time for the hugely popular SXSW® Music, Film, and Interactive Conferences and Festivals in March.

"We're ecstatic that British Airways decided to add nonstop service between London and Austin. It shows that they see the future potential for this marketplace as the epicenter of central Texas," said Bob Lander, President and CEO of the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Visitors from the UK currently represent our top overseas market and we know that this flight will help us increase that number. Additionally, the Heathrow gateway allows us to open up our destination to EU markets like Germany, France, and the Netherlands."

Austin has been ranked No. 1 on Bloomberg News' list of Top 12 American Boomtowns, the No. 2 Best Beer Town in America by Matador Network and the Best American City for BBQ by Sherman's Travel. With these accolades and the city's remarkable accessibility in mind, it's easy to see why Austin is fast becoming the favorite choice for experienced meeting planners.

More buzz for the Live Music Capital of the World®:

  • Top 20 Meeting Destination in the U.S. (Professional Convention Management Association, August 2013)
  • 4th "Most Thriving" City in the U.S. (Daily Beast, August 2013)
  • No. 6 High-Tech City (Jones Lang LaSalle index, August 2013)
  • No. 1 City for Future Job Growth (Forbes, August 2013)
  • 4th Lowest Crime Rate in the Nation (CQ Press, February 2013)
  • 9th Most Innovative City (Business Insider, February 2013)

In addition to British Airways' nonstop service from London, the following major carriers have also added nonstop service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport:

  • Washington (DCA) via Southwest Airlines 
  • New York (JFK) via Delta Airlines 
  • Atlanta (ATL) via Southwest Airlines 
  • Las Vegas (LAS) via Southwest Airlines and Allegiant 
  • Portland (PDX) via Southwest Airlines 
  • San Francisco (SFO) via Virgin America
  • New Orleans (MSY) via Southwest Airlines
  • Philadelphia (PHL) via US Airways
  • Cleveland (CLE) via United Airlines
  • London (LHR) via British Airways
  • Cancun, Mexico (CUN) via AirTran Airways
  • Mexico City (MEX) via Aeromar

Contact our expert convention and meetings staff to plan your next Austin event.