San Antonio International Airport

Updated on Dec 23, 2023

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Airport type Public Location San Antonio, Texas, US Code SAT Phone +1 210-207-3433		Owner City of San Antonio Elevation AMSL 809 ft / 246 m Elevation 247 m Serves Greater San Antonio

Operator San Antonio Aviation Department Hub for Xtra Airways Non Air Carrier – Charter Operations Address 9800 Airport Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78216, USA

Plane landing in san antonio international airport sat in texas

San Antonio International Airport (IATA: SAT, ICAO: KSAT, FAA LID: SAT) is an international airport located in San Antonio, Texas, US and serving the Greater San Antonio metropolitan area. The airport is located in Uptown San Antonio, about 8 miles north of Downtown San Antonio. The airport has three runways and covers 2,305 acres (933 ha). Its elevation is 809 feet (247 m) above sea level. SAT is a Class C airport.

Plane spotting at san antonio international airport ksat hd

Overview

In 2014, airport passenger traffic was up 1.42% over 2013 to 8,369,628 passengers. Total domestic traffic increased by 1.63% to 7,904,863 while international passenger traffic decreased by 2.07% to 464,765 passengers.

SAT averages 260 daily departures and arrivals at its 25 gates, which serve 10 airlines flying non-stop to 33 airports, including Mexico City. The airport's top-ranked destinations are Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

From February to September 2006, the airport was a "focus city" for United Airlines (the airline called it a "hublet") with flights to 12 cities in conjunction with their partner Trans States Airlines. Trans States Airlines redeployed their aircraft elsewhere, eliminating service to seven cities. Mexicana celebrated 50 years serving the airport in September 2007, only to suspend service to San Antonio in August 2010 when the airline went bankrupt and suspended operations.

Between 2011 and 2013, SAT experienced tremendous growth in international passengers and routes. In November 2011, VivaAerobus added service to Monterrey. In December 2011, Interjet added two new international routes to Mexico City and Toluca. In May 2012, AirTran Airways added flights to Mexico City and Cancun, with Southwest Airlines taking over both routes in 2014 and 2015 respectively. In December 2012, Interjet added a route to Monterrey. In December 2013, Volaris entered the market and added service to Guadalajara. Interjet also added service to Guadalajara. With 6 destinations in Mexico with over 50 weekly flights, SAT is ranked among the nation's top ten gateways to Mexico in terms of seat capacity.

In 2013, the SAT Customs and Border Protection became a Global Entry enrollment center.

The Airport is undergoing a major, multimillion-dollar expansion project which will add new terminals and parking facilities. The master plan for the project will increase gate capacity to 35. In addition, construction projects involving Interstate 410 and U.S. Highway 281 have improved access to the airport. (The airport sits near the northeast corner of the I-410/US 281 intersection.) Future plans also call for Stinson Municipal Airport, currently serving general aviation, to become the city's secondary commercial airport.

Airport officials produce a 30-minute news program about once every quarter. "Airport Airwaves" airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m., Wednesdays at 11 a.m., and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. on the Government-access television (GATV) cable TV channel.

The longest flight (by flight time and distance) from San Antonio International Airport is to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, a distance of 1,776 miles (2,858 km), with an average duration of 4 hours 7 minutes. This flight is served by Alaska Airlines, Boeing 737-800.

The shortest flight from San Antonio International Airport is to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a distance of 191 miles (307 km), with an average duration of 50 minutes. The flight is served by United Airlines.

History

San Antonio International Airport was founded in 1941 when the City of San Antonio purchased 1,200 acres (490 ha) of undeveloped land that, at the time, were north of the city limits (now part of the city's Uptown District) for a project to be called "San Antonio Municipal Airport." World War II Wartime needs meant the unfinished airport was pressed into federal government service. The airport opened in July 1942 as Alamo Field and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base.

The 77th Reconnaissance Group, equipped with various aircraft (P-39, P-40, A-20, B-25, O-47, O-52, and L-5) trained reconnaissance personnel who later served overseas. One squadron (113th) flew antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico.

At the end of the war the airfield was no longer needed by the military and was turned over to the City of San Antonio for civil use.

The former Terminal 2 was built in 1951–53, along with the FAA control tower and a baggage claim area. For HemisFair '68, a new satellite concourse was built, containing eight jet bridge gates and passenger waiting areas.

Airport diagram for March 1962

In 1975 the city adopted its first Airport Master Plan with plans for a new 1,300 space parking garage and a new 360,000 sq ft (33,000 m²) Terminal (formerly called Terminal 1, now called Terminal A). Once the new terminal was completed in 1984 it brought the airport's capacity up from eight gates to 27 gates. In 1986 a new 221-foot (67 m) FAA Air Traffic Control Tower was built at a new location.

In 1994 a second Airport Master Plan was developed that would take the airport well into the 21st century. This master plan included major updates for the airport. It called for more parking spaces made available through a new 3,000 space parking garage that would be completed by 2007. In addition it had plans for improved airport access, as well as an improved concession program. Two new terminals were planned to replace the aging Terminal 2, to increase the airports gate-capacity to 35.

November 9, 2010 saw the closure of the original Terminal 2, and the opening of the new Terminal B. Terminal 1 was then renamed Terminal A. The removal of fixtures in the old Terminal 2 began in January 2011. The final structural demolition of Terminal 2 took place in May 2011.

San Antonio closed the end of the 20th century with over 3.5 million passenger boardings in 1999. Since 1966, the airport has boarded more than 80 million people.

Management

San Antonio International Airport is owned by the City of San Antonio and operated by the San Antonio Aviation Department. The aviation director is briefed on a regular basis by Airport Advisory Committee members. These consist of neighboring communities, pilots, business community, local neighborhoods, taxicab industry and travel and tourism. This information is then relayed by the Aviation Director to the city council. Frank Miller was Aviation Director from 2009 to 2011.

Terminals

San Antonio International Airport has two terminals with an overall 24 jet bridge gates. The original one-level terminal (formerly Terminal 2) opened in 1953 with ground-loading holding areas and was expanded twice, once in 1959 with new east and west wings, and again in 1968 with an eight-gate satellite concourse, which was built to handle visitors to HemisFair '68. Terminal 2 closed on November 9, 2010 as the new Terminal B opened, and Terminal 2 began to be demolished in March 2011, with completion in January 2012. A second terminal (formerly Terminal 1, now Terminal A) opened in 1984 with a 16-gate concourse. The U.S. Customs Federal Inspection Station (FIS) is located in Terminal A and is accessible from Gates A6-A9. Terminal A will soon begin going through an updating and modernization project.

Terminal A

Terminal A (previously Terminal 1) is the larger of the two concourses with 17 gates in total. All international carriers operate out of Terminal A. On June 18, 2014, a 35.6-million dollar renovation was completed for this terminal, with the most visible improvements to passengers being new terrazzo floors, updated food courts, and new signage. On October 15, 2014, all gates in Terminal A were renumbered in sequential order.

Currently eight carriers operate out of Terminal A, with 15 of the 17 gates in use.

Aeromexico Connect uses Gates A7 and A8.

Alaska uses Gate A5.

Allegiant uses Gate A8.

American uses Gates A15 and A17.

Delta uses Gates A2–A5

Frontier uses Gate A8, occasionally will use A6, If A6 and A8 are both unavailable, They will use A7

Interjet and Volaris use Gate A6.

Southwest uses Gates A9–A14.

Gate A17 also has a parking position designated as A17A that utilizes the same Jetway, The only difference is the parking position of the aircraft.

Gate A1 is mainly used for Delta charter flights but may also used for overflow flights. Although listed on the Terminal map at the Airport's Website, Gate A16 is not a physical gate at the terminal.

Terminal B

Opened on November 9, 2010, Terminal B contains eight gates. Corgan Associates, Inc. and 3D/International designed the new terminal. American and Continental were the two original airlines at Terminal B. United, at the time located in Terminal A, moved into Terminal B on August 1, 2012 during the merger with Continental. A United Club is located between gates B3 and B5. The USO is located on the bottom level of Terminal B next to baggage claim.

American uses Gates B2, B4 and B6.

United uses Gates B1, B3, B5, B7 and B8.

Gate B7 also has a parking position designated as Gate B7A that utilizes the same Jetway, The only difference is the parking position of the aircraft.

Located right between the very end of the Terminal and the taxiway, right beside Gate B8 is an old parking area designated as Parking bay "27". this is currently not in use.

Ground transportation

A two-level parking garage immediately across from Terminal A opened in 1982, and the five-level parking garage opened in 1999. An expansion of the five-level parking garage was completed in mid-2008. In 2015, the two-level short-term parking garage closest to the terminals will be torn down and construction will begin on a larger replacement garage that will also incorporate the rental car services which are presently located at various lot locations on lots around the airport.

For transportation from the airport, there are several options. Airport Ambassadors, volunteers wearing denim vests and cowboy hats can provide accurate details of travelers' options according to each destination, but arriving passengers should keep the following guidelines in mind:

Only airport-area hotels have free shuttles. They come to the airport only after you call them for a pickup. Ambassadors have the phone numbers for these hotels. Downtown hotels may state that shuttle service is available, but they do not have their own shuttles; they are referring to the private services available at the airport.

VIA Metropolitan Transit [1] operates Bus Line 5 which runs from the center island at the far end of Terminal B to the downtown area (via North Star Mall and along McCullough and St. Marys Streets). This is the cheapest way to get anywhere in the city from the airport. It costs only $1.30 (exact change) per adult passenger and runs every 30 minutes during the daytime with a change to once every hour in the evenings (generally just before shopping malls close). Service starts around 5:00 a.m. and continues until approximately 10:00 p.m. Many hotels downtown are within 2-3 blocks of the bus line. It takes 35 minutes for the bus to get downtown—about 15 minutes longer than a taxi. The route map and schedules are available at the Ambassador Information Booths in both terminals or online. Please note that buses on Line 5 change their number to Line 30 downtown, but they continue as if it were one bus line with only the one ticket purchased at the airport needed to go all the way to the end of Line 30. A person going anywhere else in the city on the bus must purchase 1-2 transfers (as will be needed and when entering the first bus) at 15 cents each and change buses either at the North Star Mall Terminal, downtown, or where any bus line they need crosses Line 5's route. However, a trip can be time consuming if a transfer is required. For planning your route, go to http://viainfo.net

The Super Shuttle (formally known as SA Trans and as Go and also affiliated with City Tours) provides private shuttle service from the airport with charges PER PERSON and can be convenient for the individual passenger who prefers not to take the public bus. Please be aware that it is the MOST EXPENSIVE form of transport anywhere in the city from the airport for two or more passengers traveling together. For 1 passenger going to a hotel downtown, it is $19 including tax. To go anywhere downtown other than a hotel (such as the bus station or the River Walk, the charge is $29 per person, so it is better to name a nearby hotel and get the cheaper price. Rates for going anywhere else in the city with the Super Shuttle are determined by zip code and, in general, are the most expensive way to go to the address even when it is only one passenger involved.

Taxis are the cheapest option for service for 2 or more passengers going anywhere in the city if not taking the public bus, because they are priced by the CAR LOAD rather than per person. Taxis are monitored by the city and the metered rate for downtown is in the range of $27–29. The taxi ranks (located at both terminals) are manned by personnel who can call a larger taxi to the front of the line for groups up to 6 people with luggage. Even for one person going from the airport to anywhere other than downtown, the taxi is generally the cheapest option for door-to-door service.

Rideshare is provided by Uber, Lyft, and Get Me from the airport. Persons wanting to use any of these companies must have an app for the company on their telephone and contact the company via that app. Prices vary by company, and the companies may have varying prices according to the time of day or the amount of demand at the time when they are contacted. The pick-up points for rideshare companies after contacting them with your phone are at curbside at the end of Terminal B at the columns with signs indicating they are pick-up points B19 and B20.

Expansion

An expansion program began in 2006 to add additional parking, two new terminals, and roadway improvements. The plan calls for the recently renovated Terminal 2 to be razed and replaced by the new terminal. Terminal 1 would then renamed Terminal A, to correspond with Terminal B. Another new terminal, Terminal C, will then be constructed when it is needed. The new Master Plan estimates the design process could begin in 2020. Initial designs for Terminal C called for five gates which could subsequently be expanded to 11 gates as passenger counts require. When Terminal C is completed, it would bring San Antonio's total number of jet-bridge gates to 29. This number will eventually increase to 35 gates as Terminal C is expanded. There are preliminary plans for Terminal D, which could have up to 20 gates, to be built as needed.

On November 9, 2010, Terminal 2 closed, and the new Terminal B was opened. Terminal 1, in turn, assumed the name Terminal A.

The bi-level roadway in front of Terminal 1 (Terminal A) was opened to traffic November 2009 and extended to provide service to the new terminals. A 1,100,000-square-foot (100,000 m²) 3,000-space expansion to the existing five-level long-term parking garage was completed in mid-2008. Various ancillary utility projects and upgrades are also being performed as part of this program. To see a map of the construction click here.

On June 18, 2015, it was announced that on July 15, 2015, the over 30 year old 3 story short term parking garage will be closed and demolished in order to make way for a brand new 7 story parking garage and Consolidated Rental Car Center.

Other operations

The building on the north side of the field previously owned by Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. followed by Emivest Aerospace Corp. is now owned and operated by Acer Tech. "M7, located at the San Antonio International Airport, manufactures aerospace components." Previously the airport housed Fairchild Dornier U.S. manufacturing facilities.

San Antonio also serves as a hub for Xtra Airways, formerly Casino Express. Based out of their newly relocated headquarters in Boise, Idaho, they offer charter service to any destination within the United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America. As of 2012, they had a Boeing 737-400 stationed at SAT.

Numerous Sport Teams and various charters including many VIPs come to San Antonio and utilize the Airport for their aircraft. There is also a heavy military presence within the airport at times, and at times, the Mexican Air Force will fly its troops over to San Antonio to conduct military training exercises throughout the numerous military installations throughout the City.

Quest Diagnostics is known to fly lab materials and various other materials to different laboratories and research facilities using their aircraft. these flights are usually the last to depart and depart after all passenger aircraft and most cargo aircraft have departed, which occurs around 11-11:30pm.

West Cargo & Southwest Cargo area

As stated in the previous section, Many charters such as, but not limited to, professional sport teams (NBA teams, Mostly for San Antonio Spurs Games), College Football teams (Mostly for UTSA Games), Professional Baseball Teams (Occasionally for the spring training match up played in San Antonio with either the Texas Rangers or Houston Astros.) and many others will utilize the West Cargo area ( located in a large space next to Terminal B, where Terminal 2 used to exist.) to park their plane. and other aircraft belonging to different owners will utilize this area as well. The San Antonio Spurs use a Delta A319 as their main source of transportation. The plane is usually parked at Land Mark Aviation Services. Diverted flights are parked in the west Cargo area until they can resume their flights. this area is also used by flights who are on overflow.

San Antonio International Airport uses a system for its evening arrival aircraft using the terminals. Once all flights that are classified as passenger departures have departed, The airport would usually get very crowded in the terminal area, thus having no room for other aircraft. The San Antonio Airport Authority figured that a plan was needed to be placed into action. The plan was to have an arriving passenger aircraft park at a gate that is operated by their airline. Once all the passengers and crew are deplaned, and all servicing is completed on that aircraft, The plane will then be towed by a tug to the West Cargo area to sit parked overnight and give room for other aircraft.

This plan is used early in the morning for departing aircraft. Departing aircraft that are located at the West Cargo area will be held there until a gate operated by their airline opens. Once there is an open gate, the plane will be towed into the gate by a tug. Usually these operations take place for evening flights from 9PM to about midnight. For morning flights, it is usually around 6 am and will end around 8 am.

There is an area similar to the west cargo area, known as the "South West Cargo" area located beside Gate A1. This is mainly used by Delta or Delta connection Aircraft who are in overflow parking. This area is also used for charter and other aircraft. The Alpha Tango Flight school and flying services building is also located in this area.

VIPs will usually park their aircraft in the West Cargo area. Occasionally will there be a VIP in the South West Cargo area.

Accidents and incidents

On January 31, 1967, a Saturn Airways DC-6 was operating on a cargo flight to Kelly AFB. The crew decided to divert to San Antonio International Airport and commenced the approach. The airplane descended 1,100 feet (340 m) below the glide slope, flew through trees and collided with a cliff.

On August 1, 2012, a bomb threat was made at 14:00 local time that resulted in one cancellation, three diverted flights and 28 delays. Nearly 2,000 passengers and staff personnel were evacuated onto the runway and into nearby high school buildings.

On October 29, 2012, Interjet Flight 2953, scheduled to Mexico City International Airport, made an emergency landing at San Antonio after suffering engine sputtering problems that was caused by a bird strike. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

On July 2, 2014, A Beechcraft Bonanza A36 suffered a Landing Gear Malfunction while on approach to the airport. The aircraft made many go-arounds and attempts to land on the runway with no gears. The pilot then notified the tower that the plane was running low on fuel and that the pilot was going to make the decision and land on the smaller runway 12L. The pilot then began to dump fuel to slow the aircraft down. The pilot then shut down the engine, shut off the propeller and landed on the runway with the aircraft's belly. All 2 passengers and the pilot made it out safely and without any injuries.

References

San Antonio International Airport Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA