SAN ANTONIO | City and Metro Transportation Thread

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by jaga185

Transportation the Talk of Austin-San Antonio Growth Summit



Very interesting seeing as how that's what he have been discussing here over the past few weeks. Murmurs of a regional airport are happening.

All of the "murmurs" are from one side - San Antonio. Also, should the current growth rate remain relatively the same over the coming decades (estimated growth from 2010-2014), the Austin-San Antonio region may have roughly 8.2 million in it by July 2040 (~3.9 million in SA and ~4.3 million in Austin).

Austin and San Antonio are too far apart to make a "regional" airport viable. It is actually cost prohibitive. I also think Mayor Taylor's comment about creating a DFW-like airport for this region is laughable. DFW is what it is today because of its hub status. U.S. legacy airlines are not creating new hubs. In fact, they are moving away from that model as their customers are demanding more and more direct flights (see San Antonio's current concern). Furthermore, DFW is 17 miles from both downtown Dallas and Ft. Worth.

Austin tried to push for a regional airport in the 80's (an effort to bolster their economy, tourism, and passenger numbers via more direct flights)...San Antonio giggled and nothing happened. Today, about 30 years later, San Antonio is trying to push for a regional airport (in the same vain as Austin in the 80's) and now Austin isn't even giving the idea the time of day.

Just out of curiosity, who is building new, major "regional" airports anymore?