Southwest Airlines (Dallas) and its wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways (Orlando) announced today the carriers have received route authority approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for AirTran to operate new international flights between Denver International Airport and Cancun International Airport and between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Cancun International Airport.

Austin is a new market for AirTran Airways, joining Denver and Cancun on AirTran’s current route map. AirTran’s new international flight schedule will now include the following flights:

Between Denver and Cancun:

Daily roundtrip service starting April 16, 2012, through July 7, 2012

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday service starting July 8, 2012, through August 12, 2012

Saturday and Sunday service starting on August 13, 2012, through the end of the schedule (currently September 28, 2012)

Between Austin and Cancun:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday roundtrip flights starting May 25, 2012, through August 31, 2012

Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday roundtrip flights starting September 1, 2012, through the end of the schedule (currently September 28, 2012)

In addition to the new international service, AirTran will operate new domestic roundtrip service between Houston Hobby and San Antonio and between Houston Hobby and Austin to support the international flying.

The new service between Houston and San Antonio begins on May 24, 2012, and the new service between Houston and Austin begins on May 25, 2012. Both roundtrips are scheduled to operate through the end of the current flight schedule (which is September 28, 2012).

Copyright Photo: Tony Storck. Please click on the photo for information on this logojet. The AirTran logojets are not expected to survive.

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Current routes from the Atlanta hub: