San Antonio International Airport News & Updates

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by texboy

The runway 100% should be apart of it, but that terminal A... man... its a beast... it needs to go. period. $2B seems about right to me if you want to really do it right. As much as they SHOULD be tied together, the terminal cannot stay. I fly into SA probably 25% of the time I visit my folks who live in NB, and that terminal can't even fit the passengers boarding 737-700's that are flying in there. I don't know how Delta does it when they fly their 757-200 in when its fully loaded. Its definitely needed even if the airport only handles domestic narrowbody aircraft and never gets the wanted European/S. America routes.

And I used to work for WSP, and knew folks working on this plan... and I can tell you the FAA is aware and is on board. SA wouldn't be continuing with this effort and not having discussions with the FAA. I think we will see an initial 15 ish gates on terminal C, 8-10 gates on B stick around and A will be reno'd to have another 8 to 10 gates.

I agree that Terminal A is crowded and —. A simple(ish) solution might be to expand its width by 10-15 feet to allow more space for people, charging stations, etc. That may affect the space for airplanes, but I'm sure an intelligent architect can do some simple geometry and figure it out. Maybe even just expand the terminal between the gates, or expand it on the opposite side and cantilever it over the roadway. Build Terminal C first, then close half of Terminal A at a time for the expansion.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

I agree that Terminal A is crowded and —. A simpler solution might be to expand its width by 10-15 feet to allow more space for people, charging stations, etc. That may affect the space for airplanes, but I'm sure an intelligent architect can do some simple geometry and figure it out. Maybe even just expand the terminal between the gates, or expand it on the opposite side and cantilever it over the roadway. Build Terminal C first, then close half of Terminal A at a time for the expansion.

Yea, that's a simple enough sounding solution, but expanding terminal A like that even if there was the room to do that isn't feasible without shutting down at least half the gates on the east side at one time. Which wouldn't be doable considering all gates are leased out and the airport is already adding 1 onto A and 2 onto B to accommodate airline needs (which makes me think SW is planning some route adds in the near future as they're the one requesting an additional gate). And we're talking a need to double the width of A, not just 10 or 15', its really that narrow. And, the expansion would primarily need to happen on the center aisle, which would require complete demo of concessions. Further, piecemealing gate by gate an expansion on an already aging facility would cause the costs to be astronomical. I could go further into the cost side too, but long story short... if you're going to spend that kind of money... might as well build a new terminal and not make the mistake the airport did with B and just half — it. And again... overall, Term A is a dog and one of the main points of this is for SA to FINALLY have an airport that represents a 21st century city. Enough with the airport envy of Austin and finally do this correctly so we don't have to give a rats — about that airport up the road.

[Restless One]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

I don't know what point you're trying to make, but I also don't care. I'm only replying because I previously forgot to mention the westside's contribution to world cuisine, the main reason San Antonio is a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy.

Simply saying that if the West side is cheap land, especially closer to DT, then it will be vulnerable to the elite coastal vultures that the MYSA article on the NYT piece referenced.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/new-york-times-san-antonio-development-16513454.php

Calm down.

[forward looking]

I know what you mean- the San Antonio Airport seems, tiny, in comparison to other large city airports. It seems sort of well, for the lack of a better word- underdeveloped. Backward. Stunted. Shockingly small.
It is way past the time to invest in some infrastructure in the Alamo City. An expansion is needed, not merely an improvement. Sure.
Stunted. Underdeveloped for such a large city...
Chicago's huge O'Hare Airport I did find a nightmare at times. I can remember bolting on a dead run through O'Hare Airport after I realized that I was going to miss the commuter flight to Kalamazoo. Even with the conveyor belt\ people movers helping move me along. I was running right down the conveyor belts!
Denver has done a very nice job with their new airport but that monster did have some very serious glitches when it first opened. A commuter train between their terminals? Sure. Five million cubic yards of earth were moved in order to build the new, Denver Airport. Talk about the cost side? It is a splendid airport though. Modern? Sure.
Detroit invested ten billion dollars into their Detroit Metro Airport between 2000 and 2010. It is all new, even the parking structures are brand new. And. Still they are expanding. Yes.
It is time.

Originally Posted by texboy

Yea, that's a simple enough sounding solution, but expanding terminal A like that even if there was the room to do that isn't feasible without shutting down at least half the gates on the east side at one time. Which wouldn't be doable considering all gates are leased out and the airport is already adding 1 onto A and 2 onto B to accommodate airline needs (which makes me think SW is planning some route adds in the near future as they're the one requesting an additional gate). And we're talking a need to double the width of A, not just 10 or 15', its really that narrow. And, the expansion would primarily need to happen on the center aisle, which would require complete demo of concessions. Further, piecemealing gate by gate an expansion on an already aging facility would cause the costs to be astronomical. I could go further into the cost side too, but long story short... if you're going to spend that kind of money... might as well build a new terminal and not make the mistake the airport did with B and just half — it. And again... overall, Term A is a dog and one of the main points of this is for SA to FINALLY have an airport that represents a 21st century city. Enough with the airport envy of Austin and finally do this correctly so we don't have to give a rats — about that airport up the road.

[FightOn!]

Anyone have the latest rendering for what is going to be submitted to city council for approval?

Last I saw were the three concepts, with concept 3 being the fave.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by FightOn!

Anyone have the latest rendering for what is going to be submitted to city council for approval?

Last I saw were the three concepts, with concept 3 being the fave.

multimillion dollar plan in store for san antonio international airport by 2040

They had the in person info session last night to present what they will be submitting to the council in November. Not a whole lot of info here, but it does appear by the pictures that they may be going with option 3? Just kind of peaking at the pictures in the background. Phase 1 would include the build out of Terminal C. Looks to me (at least from the overhead plan view they show) that they would build out a significant portion of the future central processor/Terminal B in phase 1 as well.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by texboy

multimillion dollar plan in store for san antonio international airport by 2040

They had the in person info session last night to present what they will be submitting to the council in November. Not a whole lot of info here, but it does appear by the pictures that they may be going with option 3? Just kind of peaking at the pictures in the background. Phase 1 would include the build out of Terminal C. Looks to me (at least from the overhead plan view they show) that they would build out a significant portion of the future central processor/Terminal B in phase 1 as well.

I did a quick search and found this.

https://www.virtualbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAT2040_Terminals-1-2-3.jpg


And an article with more info and images.

https://www.virtualbx.com/feature-story/...nal-size-restructures-vehicular-traffic/

I count 35 gates in version 3.


https://www.virtualbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAT2040_Alt-3.jpg

[urban_encounter]

One important aspect of any plan, is to ensure the Airlines currently serving SAT are publicly onboard with the final choice. Ultimately it will be passengers paying the additional fees to fund the project, in addition to landing and airline apron parking fees. Carrying too much debt to fund the project could make SAT less competitive relative to Austin when in comes to ticket prices. That in turn could make a company like Southwest or a new carrier scrutinize new service at SAT more.

During the last airport expansion here in Sac, the County chose the most ambitious and expensive of the three plans proposed. The debt burden initially placed the airport at a regional disadvantage with other airports. Southwest, was on board with expansion, but not with the most expensive plan. They weren’t too happy with having to tack those costs on to passenger ticket prices.

SAT needs to select an expansion plan that works by balancing the needs of passengers and the region, but doesn’t hinder future airline service due to debt service.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by urban_encounter

One important aspect of any plan, is to ensure the Airlines currently serving SAT are publicly onboard with the final choice. Ultimately it will be passengers paying the additional fees to fund the project, in addition to landing and airline apron parking fees. Carrying too much debt to fund the project could make SAT less competitive relative to Austin when in comes to ticket prices. That in turn could make a company like Southwest or a new carrier scrutinize new service at SAT more.

During the last airport expansion here in Sac, the County chose the most ambitious and expensive of the three plans proposed. The debt burden initially placed the airport at a regional disadvantage with other airports. Southwest, was on board with expansion, but not with the most expensive plan. They weren’t too happy with having to tack those costs on to passenger ticket prices.

SAT needs to select an expansion plan that works by balancing the needs of passengers and the region, but doesn’t hinder future airline service due to debt service.

Fully agree! I think the big thing here is getting Terminal C Built which could handle the majority or all of what is on Terminal A. There may be a scenario where A is for all intents and purposes "mothballed" for a time until the need arises and the financial feasibility is there to make the upgrades/expansion there. The two big things I view here is getting C built along with extending the main runway. The Central processor would be WONDERFUL, but not completely necessary in the immediate to having B and C as the main gates and access between the two for post security connections.

[JACKinBeantown]

In the plan from a few years back, they were going to have four terminals with the newest ones basically parallel to each other. The new plans don't allow for that. Would there have been more possible gates with the old layout?


https://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff158/LoneStarMike/Airports/SATexpansion5.jpg

[texboy]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

In the plan from a few years back, they were going to have four terminals with the newest ones basically parallel to each other. The new plans don't allow for that. Would there have been more possible gates with the old layout?


https://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff158/LoneStarMike/Airports/SATexpansion5.jpg

Terminal D is still viable as future space. It will take relocating the Hangars and businesses that occupy them to the west first.

[ILUVSAT]

This is great news! I like the plan. They're even going to extend 13R-31L to 10,000'.

But, I hope the article's author was incorrect in saying: "In total, the city is looking to spend between $800 million and $950 million..." That seems quite low for the amount of work being done. It also makes me worry a bit about the aesthetics of the architecture and interior finish out.

[Rynetwo]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

This is great news! I like the plan. They're even going to extend 13R-31L to 10,000'.

But, I hope the article's author was incorrect in saying: "In total, the city is looking to spend between $800 million and $950 million..." That seems quite low for the amount of work being done. It also makes me worry a bit about the aesthetics of the architecture and interior finish out.

That number is for phase 1 of I think 3.

[DomInSATX]

Hi, this may be of interest. (Price tag is expected to top $2 Billion when complete.)

From the Expressnews:

"The redevelopment would start with fireworks: construction of a third terminal and a new parking garage. The plan’s timelines have the two structures, roadway work and smaller projects being completed by 2030 at a cost of between between $880 million and $950 million. Terminal C would eat up most of that funding, with an estimated price tag from $790 million to $840 million. The new facility would bring the number of gates to as many as 37 from today’s 23. With those projects out of the way, Terminal B would be reworked as a central ticketing facility, a one-stop airline check-in and security checkpoint that would allow travelers to wander between restaurants, bars and shops in each terminal."

It appears Terminal A would be torn down and rebuilt after construction of Terminal C and the rebuild of Terminal B.

The runway expansion:

"Also down the road is a runway expansion to 10,000 feet from 8,500 feet to accommodate bigger cargo and passenger jets. This part of the 2040 plan isn’t pressing, however. The airport’s runway today can handle international flights, say on an Airbus A350, to as far away as Frankfurt, Germany, and into South America."

Jefferson: The ambitious plan to remake San Antonio International Airport is big, bold - and needed

Look for the aviation committee to present the finalized plan to the city council next month.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by DomInSATX

Hi, this may be of interest. (Price tag is expected to top $2 Billion when complete.)

From the Expressnews:

"The redevelopment would start with fireworks: construction of a third terminal and a new parking garage. The plan’s timelines have the two structures, roadway work and smaller projects being completed by 2030 at a cost of between between $880 million and $950 million. Terminal C would eat up most of that funding, with an estimated price tag from $790 million to $840 million. The new facility would bring the number of gates to as many as 37 from today’s 23. With those projects out of the way, Terminal B would be reworked as a central ticketing facility, a one-stop airline check-in and security checkpoint that would allow travelers to wander between restaurants, bars and shops in each terminal."

It appears Terminal A would be torn down and rebuilt after construction of Terminal C and the rebuild of Terminal B.

The runway expansion:

"Also down the road is a runway expansion to 10,000 feet from 8,500 feet to accommodate bigger cargo and passenger jets. This part of the 2040 plan isn’t pressing, however. The airport’s runway today can handle international flights, say on an Airbus A350, to as far away as Frankfurt, Germany, and into South America."

Jefferson: The ambitious plan to remake San Antonio International Airport is big, bold - and needed

Look for the aviation committee to present the finalized plan to the city council next month.

Its surprising to me that this was deemed one of the more complicated scenarios during the planning process. To me this is pretty cut and dry. Very excited to see this FINALLY happen.

[Verbl1]

The flight was awesome! The plane looked very new the seating was in unbelievable. A screen in every headrest.....man it was great. The flight was not 100% full bit I'd say it was around 70-80. The inbound looked full. Looking forward to the flight back!

[satx23]

Virtual Public Meeting Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKat96HLXFA

[texboy]

Originally Posted by satx23

Virtual Public Meeting Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKat96HLXFA

Great presentation. We're looking at minimum 6 years to opening terminal C though... by that time there is a solid chance this airport will be dealing with overcrowding problems coming out of their ears. They mentioned they are out of gates NOW and the additional 3 they are adding will accommodate another 1.3M passengers. But with no additional square footage for passenger holding areas.... SAT is gonna be a rough place to fly into and out of until Term C is built. I hope they are smart and max out the amount of gates on Term C in phase 1.

[cole world11]

Originally Posted by Verbl1

The flight was awesome! The plane looked very new the seating was in unbelievable. A screen in every headrest.....man it was great. The flight was not 100% full bit I'd say it was around 70-80. The inbound looked full. Looking forward to the flight back!

Glad you enjoyed it! And hope the trip to Boston was nice. But does anyone else find it odd for an inaugural flight to be held on a Sunday? Was anyone on the inbound or outbound flight today?

[SproutingTowers]

Kelly Field To add civilian operations.

https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/military-airports-civillian-operation/