on the road again

Vonlane expands luxury bus service from Houston to charming Texas city

You can now wheel away before sunrise.

Courtesy of Vonlane

In welcome news for Houston travelers seeking alternatives to flying or filling their tanks, Vonlane has ramped up service to a favorite North Texas destination.

The luxury bus operator has introduced two new departures, on peak travel days, from Houston to Fort Worth and Austin (for a total of four daily excursions between each city).

"Good news, early birds! Cowtown just got more accessible with added departure times out of Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth that allow you to have a productive day trip aboard Vonlane," the company said in an August 23 email to customers. "Avoid the overnight hotel stay, travel in first-class comfort, and arrive home rested and caught up on phone calls and emails."

The schedule now looks like this:

Fort Worth to/from Houston: 6 am, 10:45 am, 3:30 pm, 8:15 pm Monday-Friday; modified service Saturday-Sunday.

Fort Worth to/from Austin: 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm Monday-Friday; modified service Saturday-Sunday.

With the newly expanded services, the Dallas-based company says, it has returned to 95 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity. Beginning in October, in fact, travelers can expect up to eight departures each way on Vonlane’s most popular routes, they say — a total of 72 departures on peak days between major Texas destinations.

“Texans are eager to get out and travel across the state for vacation, for work, and to see loved ones, and they are looking to Vonlane for the best travel experience in America,” said Alex Danza, founder and CEO of Vonlane, in a statement. “By increasing our departures to pre-pandemic levels, we’re making it easier than ever for travelers to get away on their own schedule in comfort and style.”

Around Texas, Vonlane’s upcoming schedule will offer the following departures on peak days:

Houston-Dallas: 8 departures each way
Houston-Austin: 8 departures each way
Houston-San Antonio: 4 departures each way
Houston-Fort Worth: 4 departures each way
Fort Worth-Austin: 4 departures each way
Dallas-Austin: 8 departures each way

The company says it hopes to re-launch out-of-state service in November. Pre-pandemic, it operated routes to and from Oklahoma City.

Vonlane launched its high-end bus service in 2014 to cater to business travelers. Each bus, which holds fewer than two dozen passengers, features amenities like Wi-Fi, satellite TV and radio, snack and drink service, sleep masks, and leather seats. Fares start at $99.

In Houston, buses depart in front of both the Hyatt Regency — Downtown (1200 Louisiana St.) and Hyatt Regency — Galleria (2626 Sage Rd.)

Reservations can be booked online, and may be canceled and fully refunded up to 24 hours before departure.

transportation

the future of boarding

American Airlines to launch new boarding process at Texas airport

American Airlines new electronic boarding gates at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Rendering courtesy of American Airlines

The new electronic boarding gates are intended to create a user-friendly experience.

Houston travelers making flight connections at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport through American Airlines might spot a new futuristic feature rolling out later this year: electronic boarding gates. The days of handing over boarding passes for an airline attendant to scan before boarding an American flight are coming to an end.

About 20 electronic boarding gates will be installed at American Airlines' new Terminal A and Terminal C expansions that are expected to open at DFW this summer, a release states.

These new gates will streamline "manual tasks" for staff during the boarding process by automatically validating travelers' boarding passes. The process should regulate the speed of boarding to reduce passenger congestion and to "improve jet bridge flow." The gates' touchscreens will provide instructions to passengers before boarding their flight.

The electronic boarding gates are intended to create a "more seamless and consistent process" for both employees and travelers, according to American's Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden.

"This innovative change is part of a broader shift toward creating a more intuitive travel journey, one that blends technology and service to guide customers through each step with greater ease and confidence, delivering a modern, consistent experience wherever they travel with us," Garboden said.

American says it will be the first major airline to offer Dormakaba Argus Air XS electronic boarding gates at scale at one of the largest U.S. air transport hubs. The new boarding gates were piloted in November 2025 and received positive feedback from users and staff.

After the DFW launch, American will begin rolling out the new boarding process at other airports to "standardize the boarding experience across the network." Time will tell whether that includes Houston's airport system.

These new changes are also part of American Airlines' ongoing initiative to expand operations out of DFW. In April, the airline expanded its structure from nine to 13 banks to offer travelers more departure options in highly desired time windows — and fewer early morning departures.

Other enhancements include improving connecting flights and adding 15 new routes to cities like Chicago and Phoenix starting this summer. Even smaller changes like debuting new in-flight condiments from movie star Glen Powell's Smash Kitchen are elevating travelers' experiences.

dfw airport travel dallas fort worth international airport innovation american airlines