San Antonio International Airport News & Updates

[texboy]

Not sure if anyone can link some photos to Instagram, but SAT had a special visitor yesterday and several spotters at SAT were on hand for the photo op. A United 777-200 en route to Houston from LHR had to divert and ended up having to park at Terminal A (not totally sure why they needed to actually deboard the passengers). I was thinking that the new Condor flight would be using one of terminal B's 2 wide body capable gates, but come to find out, the airport has modified gate 6 on A to add a "6X" lane for wide body use. The photos are quite a site to see a 777-200 parked on the A gates. Apparently this is the first time a wide body has parked at A! This gave the airport an opportunity to test out the new wide body gate, a "gate fit test" so to speak.

[Waynebob]

Sun Country used to fly DC-10s into SAT and would utilize terminal A for their “scheduled” charter service for vacation companies. This was back in the 1990s I believe.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by Waynebob

Sun Country used to fly DC-10s into SAT and would utilize terminal A for their “scheduled” charter service for vacation companies. This was back in the 1990s I believe.

Got it... one of the spotters I follow said it was the first time, but that makes sense.

[Tornado]

the House is poised to pass the senate version of the FAA Reauthorization Act either today or tomorrow which should pave the way for a direct DCA flight soon from SAT. I believe the slots have to be opened up within 60 days of the Act being signed.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by Tornado

the House is poised to pass the senate version of the FAA Reauthorization Act either today or tomorrow which should pave the way for a direct DCA flight soon from SAT. I believe the slots have to be opened up within 60 days of the Act being signed.

I wonder how this is going to be figured out in terms of which airline will get the route... I'd imagine this will be fairly coveted. I highly doubt United will be first in line for this but I could be wrong. Southwest would be a natural fit IMO but could see Delta or American vying for it as well.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by texboy

I wonder how this is going to be figured out in terms of which airline will get the route... I'd imagine this will be fairly coveted. I highly doubt United will be first in line for this but I could be wrong. Southwest would be a natural fit IMO but could see Delta or American vying for it as well.

United should be last to get anything since they opposed the bill. Delta or American would be my choice.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by Tornado

United should be last to get anything since they opposed the bill. Delta or American would be my choice.

Agreed. Getting this flight for part of the summer would be great for SAT, grab some of those Summer vacationers along with all the Fed/Military PAX.

[futuresooner]

DCA being an AA hub, it's likely that their plan includes that route. I'd expect AUS to get one as well on AA even with WN already serving the route for them.

[satx23]

SAT announced seasonal service to Cancun and MSP

[ILUVSAT]

If I'm not mistaken, the FAA approved a bill to open five new round-trip slots at DCA. It does not dictate that any one of these slots be allocated to routes of more than 1,250 miles. However, one or more could be. Also, it does not dictate which airline (or airlines) will be utilizing said slots.

Might the SAT route secure a slot? Yes, possibly. But, with AA, WN and B6 having financial trouble, I would think if any one of those were to claim a slot, they would chose the most profitable route(s). And, SAT just might not clear muster on that right now. We'll see...

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

If I'm not mistaken, the FAA approved a bill to open five new round-trip slots at DCA. It does not dictate that any one of these slots be allocated to routes of more than 1,250 miles. However, one or more could be. Also, it does not dictate which airline (or airlines) will be utilizing said slots.

Might the SAT route secure a slot? Yes, possibly. But, with AA, WN and B6 having financial trouble, I would think if any one of those were to claim a slot, they would chose the most profitable route(s). And, SAT just might not clear muster on that right now. We'll see...

SAT has been mentioned as the for sure slot by numerous politicians including Ted Cruz. He isn’t going to let SAT fall through the cracks, the flight is happening if the bill is signed.

[SAguy]

From SABJ:
By Scott Bailey

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that will allow more flights to Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Senate passed similar legislation late last week, and now there is heightened optimism that San Antonio, after a more than decade-long pursuit of such nonstop air access, can secure one of those DCA routes.

The reauthorization bill will now be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk, beating a May 17 deadline, after nearly 390 Congress members approved the legislation on Wednesday.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 bill approved by the House would authorize 10 new direct flights to Reagan National. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, among the Alamo City leaders who has pushed for the legislation, says it’s an important step toward securing nonstop service from San Antonio International Airport to DCA.

“For years, San Antonio’s Congressional delegation has been working to bring more direct flights to SAT and help our airport become a nonstop gateway to the world,” Castro told the Business Journal. “This has been a bipartisan effort, and I’m excited about the progress we achieved today.”

A federal regulatory wall known as the Perimeter Rule, established in 1966 when jet aircraft first began operating at Reagan National, has prevented nonstop flights between San Antonio International and DCA. The rule was initially put in place to drive more traffic to Washington Dulles International Airport.

That rule has cost San Antonio important economic access, according to several key leaders, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Sen. John Cornyn, who grew up in the Alamo City and helped secure Senate support for the new slots.

It’s been years since new routes were added at DCA. San Antonio is currently the largest U.S. city without such direct access to Washington. Several smaller cities, including Tulsa, Oklahoma; Akron, Ohio; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have previously landed flights to Reagan National.

San Antonio will have an opportunity to compete for one of the new DCA slots. 

Castro told me during an exclusive interview in the lead up to the Senate and House votes, “I feel like we're close. It's doable.”

The FAA Reauthorization Act also includes legislation introduced by Castro and U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Florida, that aims to improve transparency and opportunity within the FAA’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. 

[babysal]

Erin Rodriguez, Senior Public Information Officer
San Antonio International Airport

SAN ANTONIO (May 15, 2024) — Today, San Antonio International Airport (SAT) and American Airlines announced a partnership with the goal of initiating nonstop service from San Antonio to Washington, D.C. Five new roundtrip flights at Reagan National Airport (DCA) were authorized through the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill today. Once these new slots are made available, American Airlines will submit an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation to initiate service from SAT to DCA.

“We have been working for more than a decade to give residents of America’s seventh-largest city the same access to our nation’s leaders as nearly every other major city in the country,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “I am grateful for the hard work of Senator Cruz and our entire congressional delegation and look forward to Secretary Buttigieg’s approval of American’s application to initiate nonstop service from Military City USA to DCA.”

SAT serves a regional population of more than 5.2 million people and is home to a diversified robust economy, including one of the largest concentrations of military bases in the country. Joint Base San Antonio supports 266 mission partners and employs 82,000 active-duty members and civilian employees. A nonstop flight between San Antonio and Reagan National will save the military and its partners more than 500,000 man-hours annually. Additionally, San Antonio is home to the largest concentration of intelligence and cybersecurity professionals outside of the national capital region.

“With Congress increasing the number of long-distance flights at DCA, American is thrilled to announce its intent to apply to serve San Antonio International Airport (SAT) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA),” said American Executive Vice President of Corporate Real Estate and Chief Government Affairs Officer Nate Gatten. “San Antonio is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and is the largest unserved market in Texas from DCA. This route will provide a one-stop connection option from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to SAT on our industry-leading domestic network while continuing to offer nonstop service to more than 85 destinations from DCA. We’re grateful to Senator Cruz, the San Antonio International Airport, and the city of San Antonio for their partnership to connect Military City USA to our nation's capital on American Airlines."

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), the ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, worked with U.S. Senator and Chair of the committee Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to secure language for five new slots in the reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration. Last week, the Senate approved the FAA bill by a bipartisan vote of 88-4. Today, the House approved the bill overwhelmingly 387 to 26.

“I am thrilled that the City of San Antonio is now positioned to directly access our nation’s capital with a non-stop flight into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,“ Sen. Cruz said. “By working together, we overcame fierce opposition to my bipartisan provision expanding long-haul flights to Reagan National. Today’s announcement is a huge step forward for the residents of Military City USA, and I am especially proud that a company with strong Lone Star State roots and a storied history of supporting our servicemembers is choosing to invest in this route. I will be pressing the U.S. Department of Transportation to swiftly approve applications for the five long-haul flights that I successfully included in this year’s FAA reauthorization bill and look forward to being on the first direct San Antonio-Reagan National flight later this year.”

Currently, there are no direct flights from SAT to DCA, requiring San Antonio travelers to make connections through other airports or take ground transportation from Dulles International Airport or Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to Washington, D.C., adding both time and costs to their itineraries. San Antonio has repeatedly been blocked in its efforts to get direct flights from DCA, putting it at a competitive disadvantage. Nonstop service by American would increase competition for Texas consumers by adding a fourth carrier flying from SAT to a third different airport in the DC/Maryland/Virginia region and providing connectivity to numerous other airports in the Northeast United States via American’s hub at DCA. Based on the number of daily passengers currently traveling each way between the two airports, DCA is one of the largest unserved markets from SAT.

Once the President signs the FAA bill into law, the U.S. Department of Transportation will have 60 days to award the five slot pairs to airlines and their proposed routes. American Airlines' sole application will be to serve SAT.

For more information about SAT’s 45 nonstop destinations, please visit the airport’s website.

[Tornado]

Good news. Glad to see American going for the flight.

[Tornado]

SAT just announced United will begin twice daily flights to San Francisco beginning Sept 26th.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

If I'm not mistaken, the FAA approved a bill to open five new round-trip slots at DCA. It does not dictate that any one of these slots be allocated to routes of more than 1,250 miles. However, one or more could be. Also, it does not dictate which airline (or airlines) will be utilizing said slots.

Might the SAT route secure a slot? Yes, possibly. But, with AA, WN and B6 having financial trouble, I would think if any one of those were to claim a slot, they would chose the most profitable route(s). And, SAT just might not clear muster on that right now. We'll see...

You literally do this on the SAT board constantly. Nothing but negativity. Was this even necessary? No. The bill includes an exemption on the perimeter rule and SAT was vying for this very route with Austin years ago. There is absolutely no way that a bipartisan group of legislators would put tons of political capital behind this specifically for SAT if airlines and the airport hadn't indicated (read: said they would) open a route out of SAT. Apparently you aren't paying attention to ANYTHING happening at SAT right now.

[texboy]

March saw 936,866 PAX, up 8.6% over last March, busiest March on record and the busiest Spring Break season in the airport's history. YTD SAT is up almost 8% YOY.

SAT March 2024 Stats

[satx23]

First Condor flight is inbound from FRA

https://www.flightaware.com/live/fli...215Z/EDDF/KSAT

[Dot]

so how long do we think Condor will service this route?

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by Dot

so how long do we think Condor will service this route?

hopefully it will be successful and it will go from seasonal to annual which will then lead to another airline starting SAT to London service. But to play your glass half empty game...they will service it until the city stops subsidizing the route for unfilled seats.