San Antonio International Airport News & Updates
 

Let's keep all relevant SAT airport news and updates consolidated into this thread and hopefully the moderators will make it a "sticky" to keep it at the top.

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With the news that Mayor Nirenberg is wanting to push a brand new terminal for SAT, San Antonio Business Journal posted an article about how the airport received high marks from JD Power for the mid size category.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sananton...-jd-power.html
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San Antonio International Airport has earned high marks for passenger satisfaction at a time when many Americans have avoided air travel due to concerns associated with Covid-19.

J.D. Power has ranked SAT among the top 15 such facilities overall in its 2020 North American Airport Satisfaction Study.

The high standing is the result of local airport officials' "continued emphasis on customer service and great operational performance across all the factors that J. D. Power measures," said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence leader for the company.

"SAT partners especially well with [the Transportation Security Administration], and passengers highly rate their experience passing through security," Taylor said.

SAT scored 811 points overall in the new study — not far off the 2020 average of 812 points.

The Alamo City airport tied for the No. 10 spot among midsize facilities. That's notable, according to Taylor.

"The medium category is the most competitive," he said.

Jesus Saenz, director of airports for the city of San Antonio, is pleased that travelers have recognized local officials' efforts to improve the North Side terminals, including new food, beverage and retail options.

"SAT does a very good job with the operations side of the airport, especially in security check efficiency and terminal facilities," Taylor said.

J.D. Power officials said an expected sharp decline in passenger volume due to the pandemic has boosted overall travelers satisfaction — especially in the areas of check-in, food and beverage and retail. While company officials said that's not sustainable long-term, the reduced traffic has given airports an opportunity to advance capital projects and other improvements.

The study found that airports with a mall-like experience and local flavor help increase passenger satisfaction.

The study, which is in its 15th year, is based on completed surveys from U.S. and Canadian residents who traveled through at least one airport in either country during a 30-day period. It covers departure and arrival experiences during the past 30 days.

The study was conducted from August 2019 through July 2020. It tracks data based on six factors: terminal facilities, airport accessibility, baggage claim, security check, check-in/baggage check, food, beverage and retail.

"SAT’s commitment to creating a smooth experience, even during this Covid-19 crisis, is apparent in its consistently high scores," Taylor said.

to the mods...I understand if you would rather keep updates to the metro transportation thread but I think the airport deserves a separate place from VIA, road updates, etc.

It makes complete sense to give the airport its own sticky thread. I don't want to sift through posts about highways, buses, train proposals that have no chance, bike lanes and other interesting transportation posts when I want to know what's going on with the airport. Just as each building gets its own thread, so should the airport.


And with that in mind, it always helps a discussion to have something to look at. So here is a link to the Google maps satellite view of SAT:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sa...!4d-98.4683484



And here is a terminal map. Terminal B is small but nice. Gates A8-17 are doable but nothing more. I've been to Gates A1-7 many times. It's narrow and crowded and there's not much space to move around and there is no chance of having any personal space. It's not a fun experience.

https://travelwidget.com/terminal-ma...erview_map.png
https://travelwidget.com/terminal-ma...erview_map.png



And what the hell... here's a noise exposure map:

https://hmmh.com/wp-content/uploads/..._2000x1300.jpg
https://hmmh.com/wp-content/uploads/..._2000x1300.jpg

I remember this PDF from awhile back for the original Master Plan for SAT.

http://www.sanantonio.gov/Portals/0/...ePlan_2010.pdf

I also thought this was a neat idea from the below:
http://www.alecherskowitz.com/new-page-4

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

Is that a legit render? That's gorgeous!

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what the new renderings looks like if they decide to move forward with a new terminal. With all of the money spent on the parking facilities, I'm curious as to how they go about building new while working with existing infrastructure and minimal disruption to air service.

A regional airport would have been great but as many others have stated, it appears that ship has sailed. ABIA was a great investment for Austin and they have no need to do a shared facility now.

I know people make a big deal about getting trans-atlantic flights and such but is it really that big of a deal to do a connection? I'd be curious to know the number of daily departures of SA citizens to overseas destinations. Maybe ILUVSAT can pull that info.

A non-stop from middle of america to Europe is a long way. At least when you have a flight to the east coast for a connection, it breaks it up a bit. Amsterdam to Houston is 10-11 hours. That's a long time to sit in economy/economy plus.

I was looking for a plan of the SAT expansion that included the four terminals. Does somebody have that?

I found this report from 2017 of the San Antonio International Airport
Terminal A Assessment & Cost Comparison of Terminal A and C. Is this it?

https://webapp1.sanantonio.gov/RFPFi...6290605432.pdf

Yes! That's even more than I had ever seen before. Thanks.

These renderings are gorgeous!!! If San Antonio can build something remotely close to this that would be a huge win for the city. Let's make it happen.

Thank you for this! So it looks like the image I posted was based off of the "Terminal C - Bookend" concept.

Yep, Terminal C is what I believe will be the new "grand" terminal if they choose to go that route and then do a tear down/rebuild of A down the road.

I like Alternative 5 the best.

I just thought I'd post an aerial photo of the old Terminal 2. I have many memories of seeing my grandmother get off a plane here and walking down the long ramp with us. I'm sure others here have similar memories.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3266/3...4d6_z.jpg?zz=1
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3266/3...4d6_z.jpg?zz=1


And here's one of the even older Terminal 1 with the old control tower. I got a tour of the tower as a kid.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/64/96/f6/6...93e20c6d2e.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/64/96/f6/6...93e20c6d2e.jpg

I remember that old terminal well, especially the long hallway with the kitschy art, usually of bluebonnets.

When I was a kid, the dad of one of my friends took us into the "new" terminal (now terminal 1) before it was open to the public. He had access because he installed all the phone lines or something. I remember thinking how spacious and modern it looked, but I mostly remember having my first waffle cone.

Waffle cones were big in the 80s. Do you remember that painting of the WWII fighter jet at the end of the tunnel on the right side, just before you got to the gates? That was my dad's favorite (he was in the air force).

This is the thread I never knew I needed. Cheers!

From the Houston Chronicle on September 25:
Nirenberg: ‘We’re going to have to upgrade’ San Antonio International Airport, Terminal A

Mayor Ron Nirenberg says San Antonio International Airport needs to think big and build a new terminal, despite the current plunge in passenger traffic stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For San Antonio’s airport to reflect the big-city, tier-one status that we aspire to, we’re going to have to upgrade our facilities and our air service delivery in general,” Nirenberg said.

Airport officials and the mayor-appointed Airport System Development Committee are putting together a 20-year master plan that will in part help determine what to do with the airport’s 36-year-old Terminal A, its main departure and arrival area...


Here's the story:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...e-15597566.php

I think a terminal A upgrade/rebuild will definitely be in the cards but doesn't it make sense to just build a brand new Terminal C and then do some sort of rework on A down the line?

Also, there is always talk about all of the military passengers but how many of them are actually flying out of SAT? Are a majority jumping on a Space A flights out of Lackland or Randolph.

Agreed, a brand new terminal C, plus an extension on one of the existing runways or a new parallel East-West Runway to 10k feet I think would probably be the best scenario here.