After a weekend of house hunting in Austin it was time to head back to Dallas. We decided to keep it simple and head back the same way we came down, a quick hop on JSX.
Booking
Just like the trip down, we booked our flights directly with the airline via Google Flights. While tickets started at $139 each way, we wanted to take the later flight so we ended up paying $189 each for our return tickets.
Check-In
Since our flight departed at 5:30, we left the JW Marriott around 4 and dropped the car at National before taking an Uber over to Signature Flight Support. The Uber took 15 minutes and we made it to the FBO with 45 minutes to spare before departure. There was a counter set up in the lobby and they quickly checked us in and tagged our bags. They also told us that we would have a very light load, 8/30 for the ride up to Dallas.
Lounge
While we waited on our inbound aircraft from Dallas, I went off and explored the FBO. Unlike the JSX terminal at DAL, Signature Flight Support had a variety of snacks available. I grabbed a couple of things and took a seat in the main waiting area to wait on our plane.
Boarding
The boarding process for an EMB-145 with only 8 passengers is about as easy as it gets. Our waiting aircraft taxied right to the rear doors of the FBO and with a quick scan of our boarding passes we made the short walk out to our waiting aircraft.
JSX
XE 223
AUS-DAL (Austin-Bergstrom International – Dallas-Love Field)
Seat: 3A (Business)
EMB-145LR (N244JX)
Scheduled: 5:30p-6:30p
Actual: 5:33p-6:14p
Seat
The seats were the same as on our flight down and were arranged in a 1-1 configuration with a table in between.
In-Flight
We were welcomed onboard by our wonderful FA Heather that worked our flight on Thursday and she immediately recognized us and showed us to our seats. Boarding was quick and we ended up going out with a load of 7/30. Similar to our DAL-AUS flight earlier in the week, she took beverage orders on the ground before departure. I ordered a vodka soda while my fiancé ordered a red wine. Heather told us that due to the cold weather in Dallas overnight they had taken the beverage carts off of the plane overnight and accidentally loaded two of the same carts instead of the two different ones they were supposed to have, so no red wine was loaded. Instead, she went with sparkling wine and juice for a DIY mimosa.
We closed up right on time and taxied out to the runway past a Taos Air Dornier 328Jet which I’ve only seen one other time in person at DEN, definitely a unique aircraft. We took off to the south and circled around over Circuit of the Americas to head for Dallas. Our pilots had told us to expect some bumps on climb and descent, but we had a smooth ride the entire way.
After takeoff Heather jumped into action with a beverage and snack service. She asked us about our house hunt, and we told her about our offer and her recent experience selling her home in Colorado and looking for a home in the DFW area.
Arrival
Soon we were descending into Dallas and after a smooth landing and short taxi we were back at the JSX hangar. The ground crew unloaded our luggage quickly and our Uber was waiting outside to take us to the house where Gumbo was already waiting for us. The gate agent in Austin also heard us talking about our dog and sent him a JSX bandana, though it is a little small. For now, we have to sit and wait to hear back on our offer and prepare for another trip back down to Austin this coming weekend.
Summary
We really enjoyed our experience on JSX and would absolutely fly them again if the routes/times fit into our plans. I wish that they offered more routes from AUS but, as the airport continues to expand, maybe we’ll see more in the future.
