San Antonio Airport (Austin, Alamo, Rule: construction, live, costs)

[imaterry78259]

I just couldn't believe that Austin's airport has more depatures and more passenger than San Antonio's airport. What is SA doing wrong ? First the skyscrapers and now the airport. Looks like SA main competitors is just sitting60 miles up on IH35

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

I just couldn't believe that Austin's airport has more depatures and more passenger than San Antonio's airport. What is SA doing wrong ? First the skyscrapers and now the airport. Looks like SA main competitors is just sitting60 miles up on IH35

No one wants to leave?

[Bo]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

I just couldn't believe that Austin's airport has more depatures and more passenger than San Antonio's airport. What is SA doing wrong ? First the skyscrapers and now the airport. Looks like SA main competitors is just sitting60 miles up on IH35

Business travel has a lot to do with it. Businesspeople from all over the place must come to the state capital to do business with the state government. UT-Austin likely draws and generates plenty of air traffic on its own. Airlines love business travelers because they travel on short notice and pay premium fares compared to the leisure travelers San Antonio attracts.

For us San Antonians, it's good to have a comparable airport close by, because it helps with airfares and gives us another option to consider when looking for cheap fares. A couple of years back, my bro-in-law flew into Austin when he visited for the Alamo Bowl, because the fares were lower since other travelers had already bought the cheap seats on the flights to SA.

[kevcrawford]

So? What does having more flights have to do with anything? We're "doing something wrong" because we have less people traveling? Speaking as one that sat in La Guardia, O'Hare and SA International in the last week, I MUCH prefer having a low key, yet very functional airport.

[TexHwyMan]

I wouldn't say we're doing anything wrong. SAT is undergoing an expansion right now. Once that's done, passenger traffic should increase accordingly.

[scuba steve]

I heard that they're knocking down the smaller terminal soon... I just passed through the place on a househunting trip last week. Too bad, as it really gives the main airport in Slovakia a real run for the money.

Looking at prices, it costs a bit less to fly in to Austin. Maybe that has something to do with it.

[BenjaminNicholas]

It's not that SAT is doing anything wrong, but simply that they're in a holding pattern with the city dragging their heels on construction progress.

SAT was initially supposed to be done by 2009, but has now been pushed all the way into 2012. They plan to tear down what is now Terminal 2, build a whole new glass-designed terminal and connect the two using a skybridge, all while re-designing the drop-off/pick-up areas.

They're also adding two new runway systems that will easily handle widebody traffic, making SAT a more viable option for commercial international flights. For the time being, it's rare to see widebody landings (save for FedEx or UPS) as the runways are JUST long enough to legally let them land. Most commercial airlines want more runway space for their jumbos as a precaution, so SAT is yet to be a real commodity for that kind of traffic.

The airport will pick-up: Spirit Airlines is a newbie for the city and many other new carriers will also make the move into SAT. Virgin America is already planning a move in the next year. Very exciting.



BN

[imaterry78259]

I just can't get over San antonio attitude of "that will do or manana' attitude" when other smaller cities are leaving it in the dust.

[OzzyRules]

The problem is that San Antonio is too far south to ever be a major intersection for domestic travel.

[imaterry78259]

Originally Posted by OzzyRules

The problem is that San Antonio is too far south to ever be a major intersection for domestic travel.

Think of Miami

Like it or not other cities are competing with SA. I have seen it so many other places that I have live. Our main compeitor is Austin. I can't see why the city leaders and the citizens don't wake up and see this. Airport departures is a tell tell sign of how aggressive a city is about going after business.