Austin

blue

Axios Austin Partners

Austin Alerts

Alert

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Austin with Asher Price and Nicole Cobler.

Axios Austin

Standard

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

Axios Austin Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Austin Members

Membership

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Electric aircraft soon to fly in Texas skies

Texas cities are part of a pilot project to get electric aircraft airborne

Aerospace

Austin and other Texas cities could soon be on the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="vanguard of aviation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/04/joby-aviation-xwing-autonomous-flight-evtol" data-vars-content-id="92e16a7b-bd61-47dd-af58-4be9332d54c8" data-vars-headline="Electric aircraft soon to fly in Texas skies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/04/joby-aviation-xwing-autonomous-flight-evtol" target="_self">vanguard of aviation</a>, with innovative electric aircraft jetting off their runways.What&#x27;s happening: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week for one of eight pilot projects nationally, with regional flights linking Dallas, Austin and San Antonio — with Houston planned next. <ul><li>Partners on the Texas project include the companies Archer, BETA, Joby and Wisk.</li></ul>The big picture: The U.S. is competing against China to lead in advanced air mobility.How it works: Most of the U.S. projects involve the use of electric aircraft that can take off or land vertically — imagine giant, low-flying electric drones carrying passengers or cargo that take off like helicopters and fly horizontally like traditional planes.<ul><li>Some will also include electric or hybrid planes that take off and land conventionally or require only a short runway.</li></ul>Zoom in: Operations in Texas cities could start later this year, Adam Hammons, a spokesperson with TxDOT, tells Axios. <ul><li>Initially, in a phase that could last three months, TxDOT will use traditional helicopters and fixed-wing planes alongside electric aircraft to fly the planned routes. These flights will carry equipment and perform tests without carrying commercial passengers, Hammons said. </li><li>In a second phase, operations will scale to medical and cargo logistics, such as transporting critical medical supplies or organs between rural facilities and urban medical centers in Austin and San Antonio.</li><li>Ultimately, after the electric aircraft receive final federal certifications, the network will scale — in two to three years — to commercial passenger &quot;air taxi&quot; flights, Hammons says.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;Rather than isolated tests in a single city, TxDOT is building the infrastructure to handle the transition between urban, rural and state airspace,&quot; Hammons tells Axios.The bottom line: Together, the U.S. projects will create one of the largest real-world testing environments for next-generation aircraft in existence, the FAA said in a statement.Editor&#x27;s note: The headline to this story was clarified to reflect that the electric, propeller-driven aircraft will fly (not jet) in Texas.

Icon to sell its 3D-printing robots to builders

Icon has rapidly expanded its footprint in Central Texas in recent years.

News

Icon, the Austin-based <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="3D-printing construction company," data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/12/11/icon-unveils-lakefront-3d-printed-homes" data-vars-content-id="92c68e09-5977-4307-8efc-ae1fa26cba54" data-vars-headline="Icon to sell its 3D-printing robots to builders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/12/11/icon-unveils-lakefront-3d-printed-homes" target="_self">3D-printing construction company,</a> is selling its technology to other builders for the first time, allowing them to operate the company&#x27;s latest robotic building system.Why it matters: The country is facing a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="housing shortage" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/10/real-estate-congress-housing-act" data-vars-content-id="92c68e09-5977-4307-8efc-ae1fa26cba54" data-vars-headline="Icon to sell its 3D-printing robots to builders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/10/real-estate-congress-housing-act" target="_self">housing shortage</a> coupled with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="high construction costs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/01/trump-tariff-exclusions-construction-housing-affordability" data-vars-content-id="92c68e09-5977-4307-8efc-ae1fa26cba54" data-vars-headline="Icon to sell its 3D-printing robots to builders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/01/trump-tariff-exclusions-construction-housing-affordability" target="_self">high construction costs</a>, and Icon is betting that automation can dramatically lower the cost of building homes.

Austin pop-up fuels matcha craze

The pop-up has quickly become one of the city's buzziest stops.

Editor&#x27;s note: This story was written by University of Texas student Trinity Orosco for Axios Austin.An Austin matcha pop-up is drawing lines that stretch down the sidewalk, tapping into a fast-growing U.S. market for the Japanese green tea.

Vance to headline two RNC fundraisers in Texas

The Austin event has an ask starting at $100,000 per couple.

A Republican National Committee fundraiser featuring Vice President Vance in Austin this month has a buy-in of $100,000 per couple, per an invitation to the event obtained by Axios.Why it matters: The March 23 event is hosted by GOP mega-donor and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/09/30/palantir-founder-joe-lonsdale" data-vars-content-id="80a84cfa-1b99-4700-9c87-84b86b41166a" data-vars-headline="Vance to headline two RNC fundraisers in Texas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/09/30/palantir-founder-joe-lonsdale" target="_self">Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale</a> and signals how crucial tech money will be to Vance in a potential 2028 presidential run.

FAA staffing issues lead to Austin airport delays

As of the start of 2025, Austin had met about half its FAA staffing goal.

More than 100 flights were delayed at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Austin-Bergstrom International Airport" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/05/02/airport-seeks-ambassadors" data-vars-content-id="43c47d66-2b63-483e-8dc6-4c4ddc5f479e" data-vars-headline="FAA staffing issues lead to Austin airport delays" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/05/02/airport-seeks-ambassadors" target="_self">Austin-Bergstrom International Airport</a> on Wednesday — the second time this month — due to federal aviation staffing issues.Why it matters: Just ahead of a busy travel weekend, the delays point to a wider problem in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Austin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin" data-vars-content-id="43c47d66-2b63-483e-8dc6-4c4ddc5f479e" data-vars-headline="FAA staffing issues lead to Austin airport delays" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin" target="_self">Austin</a> and elsewhere involving concerns over <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="aviation safety and reliability" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/11/air-traffic-controllers-safety-trump-musk" data-vars-content-id="43c47d66-2b63-483e-8dc6-4c4ddc5f479e" data-vars-headline="FAA staffing issues lead to Austin airport delays" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/11/air-traffic-controllers-safety-trump-musk" target="_self">aviation safety and reliability</a>.

Local favorites for Airbnbs in Central Texas

More than 50% of Texans who used the platform used it to stay in-state in the first half of 2024.

Local travel is booming, new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Airbnb" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/05/29/airbnb-friendly-apartment-rentals-income-greystar" data-vars-content-id="c24b6664-5613-4923-a91e-a80c90a4e45f" data-vars-headline="Local favorites for Airbnbs in Central Texas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/05/29/airbnb-friendly-apartment-rentals-income-greystar" target="_self">Airbnb</a> data reveals.The big picture: More travelers are opting to stay closer to home, with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Airbnb reporting" data-vars-click-url="https://news.airbnb.com/local-travel-on-the-rise-see-the-top-trending-destinations-locals-love/" data-vars-content-id="c24b6664-5613-4923-a91e-a80c90a4e45f" data-vars-headline="Local favorites for Airbnbs in Central Texas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://news.airbnb.com/local-travel-on-the-rise-see-the-top-trending-destinations-locals-love/" target="_blank">Airbnb reporting</a> a surge in bookings within a 300-mile radius — roughly a tank of gas — from where people live.

Top Texas attraction: Final Four

It's down to Big Bend vs. Fredericksburg and the Alamo vs. Barton Springs.

Travel

The largest national park in Texas dominated in our Elite Eight matchups of top Lone Star State attractions, easily gliding past another hiking haven closer to home: Enchanted Rock.<ul><li>But will the rugged isolation of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Big Bend" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm" data-vars-content-id="4b19064c-1c9e-420e-a54c-00e079482238" data-vars-headline="Top Texas attraction: Final Four" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm" target="_blank">Big Bend</a> hold up against <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fredericksburg" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2024/05/12/guide-fredericksburg-texas-hill-country-where-eat" data-vars-content-id="4b19064c-1c9e-420e-a54c-00e079482238" data-vars-headline="Top Texas attraction: Final Four" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2024/05/12/guide-fredericksburg-texas-hill-country-where-eat" target="_self">Fredericksburg</a>’s allure of antique shops, German cuisine and Hill Country wine?</li></ul>

Vote for Texas' top attraction

Select your favorite spots in Texas, from the Alamo to Barton Springs.

Things to Do

Texas&#x27; premier water park vs. Texas&#x27; premier amusement park. A trendy high desert escape vs. miles of sandy beaches. Texas&#x27; top attractions are about to face off bracket-style.<ul><li>And you get to pick the winners.</li></ul>

Pride vacation rentals in Austin

Some short-term rentals don't always feel safe for LGBTQ+ travelers.

Some of the country&#x27;s biggest LGBTQ+ events are happening this month — and Austin&#x27;s Pride parade comes later this summer — but finding welcoming accommodations isn&#x27;t always easy.State of play: In an effort to solve those concerns, Matthieu Jost founded San Francisco-based Misterb&amp;b — an Airbnb-style <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="short-term rental" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/22/airbnb-apartment-rental-income" data-vars-content-id="2422abdb-b9d8-4325-880f-cb3fd8517f3f" data-vars-headline="Pride vacation rentals in Austin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/22/airbnb-apartment-rental-income" target="_self">short-term rental</a> platform advertised as a safe option for queer people.

Austin outdoor recreation guide

Austin's public pools and swimming holes will help you beat the heat.

It&#x27;s about to get hot, y&#x27;all. Luckily, there are plenty of places to cool down in Central Texas.What&#x27;s happening: We&#x27;ve rounded up some of our favorite spots for a dip as temperatures hover in the 90s this week.

Austin's Virginia Rose makes birding accessible

"Let's broaden our understanding of what access means."

Virginia Rose, a 64-year-old Austin resident and disability rights advocate, is featured in a new book on adventuring and aging.Why it matters: Rose, who was paralyzed in a horseback-riding accident 50 years ago, founded her organization Birdability with the goal of bringing birders with disabilities together and making trails more accessible.

Airports aim for overseas routes

Condor has been meeting with German heritage societies and business organizations to promote its flights.

A low-fare European airline is trying to coax Austinites to fly to the continent out of San Antonio.Why it matters: Condor Airlines&#x27; foray into Central Texas speaks to emerging competition between Austin and San Antonio to scoop up flyers — and come out as the major gateway in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the burgeoning megalopolis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2023/12/01/san-antonio-austin-metroplex-population-growth" data-vars-content-id="db5cfce7-a9cf-4fee-8a97-806aa992573d" data-vars-headline="Airports aim for overseas routes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2023/12/01/san-antonio-austin-metroplex-population-growth" target="_self">the burgeoning megalopolis</a>.

Axios Denver