Quote:
Originally Posted by texboy
I thought it was great to hear Austin getting an international flight on here. Its fantastic when any city can increase the travel options of its residents and business community.
The pendulum swings both ways in this competition (and lets be honest, SA and Austin compete for air traffic) to see who can get the better flights. My view (and this is a very broad statement I'm about to make) is that SA is the last frontier in terms of the big four cities in Texas for business and leisure travel in the 21st century. Many folks on here and in the stats world see Austin surpassing SA in almost every category within the next couple decades. I have always disagreed with this view. What is left out of the stats is that Austin is increasingly becoming an expensive city to live in (the most expensive by a mile in Texas) and start/relocate a business to. Rightfully so as it is a gorgeous city with plenty of amenities for its residents to enjoy that make it a very attractive city to live in. This is not meant to cause irritation, but merely a clear observation. SA on the other hand is the cheapest city of the big 4 to live in and I believe there will be a lot of eyes turning to that city as businesses continue to search for ways to cut costs. My prediction is that SA will start ramping up in the coming decades and may play some catch up with Austin in terms of influx of people and air traffic. The puzzle pieces are there in SA, it just needs a few key parts to fit correctly in order to take off. IMO.
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I respect your opinion, Texboy. However, I do have a few comments…
“The pendulum swings both ways in this competition (and lets be honest, SA and Austin compete for air traffic) to see who can get the better flights.”
-No, actually they do not. Market forces drive airline routes. I don’t care how much a city wants a specific route, without the proper market forces driving the airline to look into that route, it will not happen. Austin has more routes to the San Francisco Bay area than San Antonio because market dictated those flights…Austin and the Bay Area are hubs for the technology industry.
Furthermore, Austin’s airport has recorded more annual PAX than San Antonio’s for years.
”My view (and this is a very broad statement I'm about to make) is that SA is the last frontier in terms of the big four cities in Texas for business and leisure travel in the 21st century. Many folks on here and in the stats world see Austin surpassing SA in almost every category within the next couple decades. I have always disagreed with this view.”
-You shouldn’t disagree with the truth. Why would anyone put their professional reputation on the line with inaccurate numbers/stats? Stats are measurements of past circumstances, which may be used in the prediction of future events. Austin has never been behind San Antonio in certain measurements; trailing and caught up in several; lagging, but closing ground in many; and even loosing and possibly never catching up in others. It depends on what interests you the most as to how a particular stat will affect you personally.
”What is left out of the stats is that Austin is increasingly becoming an expensive city to live in (the most expensive by a mile in Texas) and start/relocate a business to. Rightfully so as it is a gorgeous city with plenty of amenities for its residents to enjoy that make it a very attractive city to live in. This is not meant to cause irritation, but merely a clear observation. SA on the other hand is the cheapest city of the big 4 to live in and I believe there will be a lot of eyes turning to that city as businesses continue to search for ways to cut costs.”
-Yes, Austin may be the “most expensive” city in which to live in Texas. However, there is not much difference between Austin and San Antonio. You make it sound as if someone dropped San Francisco off in the middle of Texas. Companies would not be moving to Texas in droves if any or all of the Big Four were "too expansive." Remember from where these companies are coming. California, Georgia, New York/New England…all of which are FAR more expensive than any city in Texas in which to live and run a business. Austin, for example, is cheap in their eyes. Some other reasons why businesses come to Austin over San Antonio is availability of educated/skilled labor, The University of Texas, quality of life, etc. And, please do not misread my comments and accuse me of saying SA is not a good place to live! It is.
Let's remember that pricing (in all categories) is market driven (as it is in every city). If people did not want to pay the "higher" prices, they will not and prices would fall. In this case, it is just a function of how much and how many people want to be in Austin at this point in time.
On a side note, anyone who tries to directly compare Austin to San Antonio is doing a disservice to both communities. Because of their differences in culture, economy, education, lifestyle, topography, specific location, etc., they are not on equal ground.
”My prediction is that SA will start ramping up in the coming decades and may play some catch up with Austin in terms of influx of people and air traffic. The puzzle pieces are there in SA, it just needs a few key parts to fit correctly in order to take off. IMO.”
-San Antonio has not been sitting idly on the sideline for the past 15 years. Their puzzle pieces have been there all along. And, I will give them credit; they are doing their best to improve them. Having said that, they have already ramped up and will continue to push forward. There is only so much they (or any city) can offer at any given time.
In the mid 2000’s to the early 2010’s, San Antonio and Dallas were kicking everyone’s a$$ in Texas (economically). Now, Houston and Austin are going nuts.
It is obvious that very different forces drive Austin and San Antonio’s economies. So, when one is up, the other may be struggling. Without going into a full-blown economics 101 lesson, that is why cities strive to have diversified economies.
Austin has been growing for a very long time. It has been too small to really be a player until now…people are finally noticing this little gem of Texas. The metropolitan area’s population has roughly doubled every 20-25 years since 1839 (the incorporation of the City of Austin). That is pretty consistent growth. And there does not seem to be any major barriers in the way for it not to continue this trend over the coming decades.