San Antonio International Airport News & Updates

[Onward]

Originally Posted by texboy

Oh that's fantastic! I'm really anxious to see the 60 or 80% renderings. Also very glad to see the runway extension as being listed as "initial design". That should 1000% be complete before the terminal. Would be a shame to have a concourse with 3 widebody gates and no way to land/takeoff the planes that use them. I think full build out of the master plan pares the gate count down a bit, but 40 gates + 5 ground loads will be nice to have a for a bit... hopefully they'll all fill up quickly.

The extension on 13R/31L shouldn't take long at all once construction starts. Speaking of runways I still have no idea why they plan on keeping 13L/31R. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw it actually being used. The vast majority of private aviation uses the main two runways. I've also seen where they much prefer and in some scenarios plan on closing 4/22.

I get why they're building the shed or if you want to be nice about it ground load facility, but man I hope they build a wall or something to block the view of it. Those things never look good in person. Lucky for us it will be the first thing people see when turning into the Arrivals/Departures loop.

[SAguy]

From: SAT Facebook page

✈️ ATTENTION SAN ANTONIO 👀 Something BIG will be announced tomorrow. #flySAT

Tomorrow at 1pm
An announcement like no other....

[futuresooner]

Using the primary east runway "13R" should be a good indicator, IMO.

[AI0120]

https://twitter.com/IshrionA/status/1704630739373871240

A lot of rumors circulating hinting this may be SAT's first TATL route. Huge win for SA if it turns out to be true. Now the population needs to support it.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Alright, I'm not an aviation nerd, but what do they mean by "It should be somewhat obvious what the new airline and route is now." Is it that obvious???

Edit: Watch it be "Wow new service to Omaha *star eyes emoji*". Just kidding. Maybe

[Tornado]

It appears it will be Condor Airlines according to the discussion on airliners.net. SA now showing on their world map as a Condor direct flight but we will know for sure tomorrow.

https://www.condor.com/us/get-inspir...r-worldmap.jsp

[DomInSATX]

Can a fully loaded A330 or B767 take off with our current runway length? (Granted the main runway can be extended quickly and the future ground loading facility could probably be used to load a wide body.)

[AI0120]

https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/...ameFilter=A330

Not sure how accurate this website is, but assuming Condor uses the Airbus A330-900, the runway only needs to be 7050 feet for takeoff, and about 5600 feet for landing.

[theOGalexd]

oh shiiiiiiet a TATL! I'm seeing mixed speculation between LHR and Frankfurt but I guess we'll see tomorrow! Didn't see this happening so quick.

[babysal]

https://onemileatatime.com/news/cond...tonio-flights/

One Mile At A Time
Ben Schlappig
9-21-2023

A bit later today, we can expect a very interesting new transatlantic route to be (officially) announced.

We know that San Antonio International Airport has been offering huge incentives to airlines willing to start long haul routes from the airport, with a particular focus on getting nonstop flights to either London or Frankfurt.

Along those lines, it looks like we now know what this exciting announcement could be. Condor’s online route map shows that the airline now serves San Antonio (you can tell by the yellow pin — the gray pins are for cities served by partners).

It would appear that the service will launch as of November 2023. That’s because there’s the little date finder at the top right, and the San Antonio route appears as of November 2023, but not before. It remains to be seen how many weekly frequencies will be offered, if the route will be year-round, etc.

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by babysal

https://onemileatatime.com/news/cond...tonio-flights/

One Mile At A Time
Ben Schlappig
9-21-2023

A bit later today, we can expect a very interesting new transatlantic route to be (officially) announced.

We know that San Antonio International Airport has been offering huge incentives to airlines willing to start long haul routes from the airport, with a particular focus on getting nonstop flights to either London or Frankfurt.

Along those lines, it looks like we now know what this exciting announcement could be. Condor’s online route map shows that the airline now serves San Antonio (you can tell by the yellow pin — the gray pins are for cities served by partners).

It would appear that the service will launch as of November 2023. That’s because there’s the little date finder at the top right, and the San Antonio route appears as of November 2023, but not before. It remains to be seen how many weekly frequencies will be offered, if the route will be year-round, etc.

Anyway you put it, this is potentially exciting news. If it is the leisure airline, Condor, I wonder what its frequency will be and if it's only seasonal. Due to runway length, I wouldn't be shocked if this is fall, winter and early spring service. But, who knows.

What worries me is the bolded line above. That is not a sustainable model. Yes, almost every airport uses this tactic. However, some more than others. Travelers on leisure airlines are not willing to pay mainline prices. And, obviously, leisure airlines do not offer the service level and comfort of a mainline carrier. This is why these routes are difficult to maintain. Especially if you want to bolster the route with business passengers.

Let's hope for the best.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

Anyway you put it, this is potentially exciting news. If it is the leisure airline, Condor, I wonder what its frequency will be and if it's only seasonal. Due to runway length, I wouldn't be shocked if this is fall, winter and early spring service. But, who knows.

What worries me is the bolded line above. That is not a sustainable model. Yes, almost every airport uses this tactic. However, some more than others. Travelers on leisure airlines are not willing to pay mainline prices. And, obviously, leisure airlines do not offer the service level and comfort of a mainline carrier. This is why these routes are difficult to maintain. Especially if you want to bolster the route with business passengers.

Let's hope for the best.

I agree but if the business community and city are willing to pony up the dollars then great. It'll be on travelers to make that flight work in the end and I have bad memories of Air Canada service. Knowing SAT, we will probably be hit with a totally different announcement

I wonder what gate they would utilize if this comes to fruition?

[theOGalexd]

Looks like SAT is already on Condor's map here

https://www.condor.com/us/get-inspir...r-worldmap.jsp

I saw a tweet that said 3x weekly, seasonal and starts in November. Guess we'll see in a few hours!

[Tornado]

Can book tickets now on Condors website. A330neo aircraft, M/W/F service beginning 5/17/24. 10ish hour flight. Flights leave between 8 and 10 pm out of SA and arrive in Frankfurt between 1 and 330pm. Return flight seems to arrive in SA at around 6 am according to their website.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by Tornado

I agree but if the business community and city are willing to pony up the dollars then great. It'll be on travelers to make that flight work in the end and I have bad memories of Air Canada service. Knowing SAT, we will probably be hit with a totally different announcement

I wonder what gate they would utilize if this comes to fruition?

My guess would be B1A…. I have a sneaky suspicion that gate was built for this. The hold room is very large, larger than is needed for a 757 which I believe is the largest aircraft the other gates can handle currently.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by Tornado

Can book tickets now on Condors website. A330neo aircraft, M/W/F service beginning 5/17/24. 10ish hour flight. Flights leave between 8 and 10 pm out of SA and arrive in Frankfurt between 1 and 330pm. Return flight seems to arrive in SA at around 6 am according to their website.

Nice, looks like 3x week off season, and daily in the summer. And fairly cheap fares as well. SSP Euro Trip 2024?? We need to collect very important urban development data from Munich or Strasbourg or whatever.

[AI0120]

Fares are definitely reasonable.

Doing dummy bookings for economy light May 17-June 3
SAT- $1,020
AUS (on Lufthansa)- $1,712
IAH (on Lufthansa)- $1,763

For a family of 4 in Austin or Houston, taking the SA flight could save them nearly $3000. Think we'll see some retention from not just Austin, but the folks who travel to Houston to fly to Europe, plus maybe even get some market share from AUS/Houston. Obviously Condor is not geared towards business travelers, but price sensitive passengers have another option in SA now. Awesome news for the city and hope the route works out for them.

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by AI0120

Fares are definitely reasonable.

Doing dummy bookings for economy light May 17-June 3
SAT- $1,020
AUS (on Lufthansa)- $1,712
IAH (on Lufthansa)- $1,763

For a family of 4 in Austin or Houston, taking the SA flight could save them nearly $3000. Think we'll see some retention from not just Austin, but the folks who travel to Houston to fly to Europe, plus maybe even get some market share from AUS/Houston. Obviously Condor is not geared towards business travelers, but price sensitive passengers have another option in SA now. Awesome news for the city and hope the route works out for them.

There is quite a different service and comfort level between Condor and Lufthansa. So, it's really not a fair comparison. I would also imagine that the rate you are seeing now (on Condor) is an introductory rate.

In any case, Condor did well in Austin until Lufthansa entered the market. Now people in the Central Texas region have a choice for O&D travel to FRA.

It all boils down to how the customer wants to travel - on a LCC or mainline. Those flying out of Austin are different than those who would be flying out of SAT.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

There is quite a different service and comfort level between Condor and Lufthansa. So, it's really not a fair comparison. I would also imagine that the rate you are seeing now (on Condor) is an introductory rate.

In any case, Condor did well in Austin until Lufthansa entered the market. Now people in the Central Texas region have a choice for O&D travel to FRA.

It all boils down to how the customer wants to travel - on a LCC or mainline. Those flying out of Austin are different than those who would be flying out of SAT.

Def will be different passenger mix. If the flight can be sustained to when the new terminal opens, we will be doing well. Let’s hope the marketing teams go all out in selling this here and in Europe.

Also, have you thought about changing your username to ILUVAUS because you seem more Austin inclined than SAT. Nothing wrong with it, just an observation.

[ILUVSAT]

Here is one announcement:

https://onemileatatime.com/news/cond...tonio-flights/

Starting May 17, 2024 the SAT-FRA route will be served 3x weekly. It did not say if this was seasonal or year-round service. It also did not mention anything about upgrading to daily service.

I would imagine this will be 3x weekly year-round for a while.

Even the author of this article worries about the route's survival once the incentive revenue runs out. We shall see, correct?!?

I will say that I am a bit worried about the size of the plane being proposed - A339neo. It seats a total of 310 people (30 business class; 64 premium economy; and 216 general economy). That's a lot - for a first ever transatlantic route.