SAN ANTONIO | City and Metro Transportation Thread

[cole world11]

Originally Posted by babysal

By W. Scott Bailey – Senior Reporter, San Antonio Business Journal
2 hours ago Updated an hour ago

San Antonio International Airport continues to rack up more wins. The latest is new daily nonstop flights between the Alamo City and Philadelphia International Airport in a deal struck with American Airlines.

The carrier will launch the new service between the two cities beginning on Feb. 15. San Antonio officials said the new flights will provide much-needed capacity to the Northeast and provide passengers key access to American Airlines’ primary transatlantic gateway.

San Antonio Aviation Director Russ Handy said there is currently only one other airline providing access between the Alamo City and Philadelphia — on a seasonal basis.

Brian Pratte, air services administrator for the city of San Antonio, who has been tasked with improving air access to and from the market, said local officials have been working on the new Philadelphia flights with American Airlines for at least 18 months.

Pratte said the new deal with American Airlines will provide greater access “to our largest under-served market and international access via their major hub.”

The new commitment from American Airlines follows a series of wins for San Antonio airport officials.

Last month, I reported that Frontier Airlines will launch new nonstop flights between San Antonio and Colorado Springs, Colorado, in April. This is the third time since July that the company has unveiled plans to expand service to and from the Alamo City.

Late last month, Volaris initiated nonstop service from San Antonio International Airport to Mexico City International Airport.

All of this comes as a record number of passengers pass through the terminals at SAT.

Last month I reported that, in July, more than 848,000 ticket holders flew into or out of San Antonio’s largest airport. That set an all-time record for SAT and was a nearly 6 percent increase over passenger traffic during July 2016.

Airport officials expect the trend will continue — especially as more airlines move to meet the growing demand.

Maybe it's mentioned elsewhere, but they don't mention which aircraft they're using. Will this be an American mainline flight or an American Eagle flight? Either way, glad to have this nonstop back.

Any word if Delta will bring us a nonstop to their Seattle hub? That's the one I'm patiently waiting for.