From Austin to Amsterdam

It’ll be even easier to get a flight out of the country during South by Southwest this year. You heard it: Yesterday, Delta Air Lines announced it will offer four nonstop, round-trip flights between the Airport Schiphol in Amsterdam and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in March. Around 1,000 people are expected to benefit from the flights. According to Jim Smith, ABIA’s executive director, the flights “will make it even easier for global customers to experience SXSW, which last year saw 400,000+ attendees at this convergence of music, interactive, and film industries.” The Austin Chamber of Commerce also weighed in on the announcement on Monday. The chamber’s Air Services Task Force Chair Doug Driskill lauded the plan as a “major victory for the Central Texas region,” in a press release. “These four round-trip flights will serve as an additional gateway into Austin for employers, entrepreneurs, and influencers from Europe during SXSW and provide greater exposure for all that our region offers. We encourage Austin-based employers to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their businesses to those who will be travelling to Austin, and to deepen engagement with this critical European market,” he said.