Texas
Delta goes bigger in Texas: Five new nonstops from Austin to business and leisure hotspots
Delta goes bigger in Texas: Five new nonstops from Austin to business and leisure hotspots
Delta is continuing to position itself as the airline of choice for customers traveling to and from Austin with the introduction of five new routes from the Texas capital. Starting in March 2025, Delta will add daily nonstop service to Panama City, Fla. (ECP). Additionally, the airline will add new, nonstop service to Indianapolis (IND), Memphis (MEM), San Francisco (SFO) and Tampa (TPA), providing Austin customers more options than ever before.
“Delta has made its commitment to Austin known, and these new routes and the 55 peak-day departures planned for Summer 2025 reaffirm that,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s S.V.P. – Network Planning. “This is on top of the already 20% seat capacity increase we put into service in April connecting Austin to new destinations in major corporate and leisure markets both within Texas and outside the state — onward throughout our global network.”
“We continue to listen and respond to what Austin needs as it grows, and we have a dedicated corporate and agency sales team at the ready to get all customers to, from and through this crucial tech and business destination,” said Scott Santoro, V.P. Los Angeles and Sales-West.
MARCH ADDITIONS: SPRING BREAK & MARDI GRAS
Starting on March 9, customers can enjoy nonstop service to Panama City (ECP), perfect for Spring Break travel to the white sand beaches of the Florida panhandle. This daily flight will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest on an Embraer ERJ-175 equipped with First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin. This flight joins the recently announced service from Austin to New Orleans (MSY), launching Feb. 27, just in time for Mardi Gras and Spring Break.
MAY ADDITIONS: ONLY NONSTOP AUS-MEM SERVICE
Delta’s service from Austin to Memphis — the only nonstop link between the two cities — and Indianapolis will begin May 7, providing seamless connections to two key business and cultural travel destinations. Customers traveling to Memphis will enjoy quick access to iconic Beale Street and can decide for themselves which city has the best barbecue, while the route to Indianapolis creates additional opportunities for business travel. In addition to being popular with business travelers, these new routes will also provide greater connectivity for customers in Memphis and Indianapolis looking to travel to Austin. Both daily flights will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest on an Embraer ERJ-175 equipped with First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin.
JUNE ADDITIONS: BICOASTAL DELIGHTS
On June 8, Delta will round out its latest expansion with new, nonstop service to San Francisco (SFO) and Tampa (TPA). The route between Austin and San Francisco will unite two of the largest and most influential tech and innovation cities in the country. Meanwhile, the Austin-Tampa route will give Austin customers more ways to access Florida’s stunning Gulf Coast and one of the nation’s growing business destinations.
These daily flights will be operated on Delta’s state-of-the-art Airbus A220-300 aircraft equipped with First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin. The A220-300 aircraft is set up in a 2×3 configuration, meaning there are 50% fewer middle seats. Additionally, the aircraft has large windows and expanded overhead bins. SkyMiles customers traveling onboard this aircraft will also have access to fast, free Wi-Fi onboard. Together with seat back in-flight entertainment, this aircraft is perfect for business travelers who want to be productive, as well as customers who want to sit back and relax and enjoy 1,000+ hours of entertainment content.
CONNECTING AUSTIN TO THE WORLD
Last year, Delta positioned Austin as a key gateway to facilitate connections to its expansive network, and with nonstop flights to all of Delta’s major hubs, travelers from the Austin region are just one connection away from destinations across the globe. Delta is also able to connect customers in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia to the vibrant and rapidly expanding tech hub.
For booking and more information on these flights, visit delta.com.
© 2024 Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Texas
Pentagon releases UFO files with Texas sightings going back to 1948
Trump administration to release UFO files soon, president says
President Trump said his administration plans to release information and materials relating to UFOs.
Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.
The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.
The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.
UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas
A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.
Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska
Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.
According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.
The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.
Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch
The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.
The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.
When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.
As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.
Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas
Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.
For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
Texas
AMBER Alert girl last seen in Texas after Louisiana abduction
Concern over effectiveness of AMBER Alerts
For nearly 30 years, the AMBER Alert has helped locate hundreds of children, but one of its founders believes changes should be made to make the emergency alert system more effective.
Fox – 7 Austin
An AMBER Alert has been issued for a 13-year-old girl abducted from Louisiana who was last seen in North Texas.
Merlin Chirinos-Argueta was last seen around 7:10 p.m. May 7 in Allen, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Authorities say the teen was abducted from Keithville, Louisiana, and may be traveling in Texas
Chirinos-Argueta is described as a 13-year-old Hispanic girl with black hair and brown eyes. She is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds, officials said.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said Merlin was reported missing Thursday. May 7 from the 6200 block of Bain Boulevard in Keithville. Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. said investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating the teen.
Investigators believe she may be with 18-year-old Daniel Vasquez Mejia, who has black hair and brown eyes.
Merlin has not been in contact with her family, which has raised concerns for her safety and well-being, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing.
Authorities say they may be traveling in a white Chevrolet SUV with Texas license plate VML6061. The vehicle is believed to have a skull sticker on the rear driver’s side back window and a “mojo” sticker on the passenger side rear window.
Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or contact the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-675-2170.
Texas
Texas officials monitoring two residents who were on board ship with hantavirus outbreak
AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that two Texas residents were passengers on the MV Hondius, a ship that experienced an outbreak of hantavirus while traveling in the Atlantic Ocean. The passengers left the ship and returned to the United States before the outbreak was identified.
“Public health workers in Texas have reached the two individuals, and they report they are not experiencing any symptoms and did not have any contact with a sick person while aboard the ship. They have agreed to monitor themselves for symptoms with daily temperature checks and contact public health officials at any sign of a possible illness,” the agency said on Thursday in a statement.
DSHS will not release additional personal details about the passengers to protect their privacy.
“This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization. “Most people will never be exposed to this.”
More than two dozen people from at least 12 different countries left the ship without contact tracing nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board.
Health authorities on at least four continents are now tracking down and in some cases monitoring the cruise passengers who disembarked on April 24, and trying to trace others who may have come into contact with them since then.
That includes two people in Georgia who are also being monitored, according to our affiliate WTOC.
Hantaviruses are usually spread through contact with wild rodent droppings or urine. The strain in the Hondius outbreak, Andes virus, can spread from person to person in limited circumstances. It typically requires close, prolonged contact with a person who is actively sick with the disease.
It is not known to spread through casual contact such as shaking hands or being in the same room for a few minutes. There have been no documented cases where a person without symptoms spread it to someone else.
Copyright 2026 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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