San Antonio International Airport News & Updates

[texboy]

Hoping for some more overall shots of the new terminal, but press is trickling out now from the City Council Meeting

New terminal design signals major, billion-dollar changes at San Antonio airport

Airport officials unveiled a model and renderings of a new San Antonio International Airport terminal Wednesday that City Manager Erik Walsh said “changes the pathway for this region for a very long time.”

Conceptual renderings show a bright and modern airport terminal bigger than the two existing terminals combined, with up to 17 gates, lengthy passenger departure and arrival lanes, spacious waiting areas and club lounges and a lushly landscaped, open-air courtyard.

Just don’t think of it as Terminal C.


“We’re calling it the ‘new terminal,’” Walsh said.

The planned new terminal is the largest piece of the overall 20-year, $2.5 billion airport strategic development plan approved by City Council in November 2021. Pre-construction projects to set the stage for the terminal are set to start in 2024 with a target completion date of 2028.

[jkill34]

Originally Posted by texboy

Hoping for some more overall shots of the new terminal, but press is trickling out now from the City Council Meeting

New terminal design signals major, billion-dollar changes at San Antonio airport

I like how they are thinking big. It will pay off for them in the long run.

[AI0120]

I want to like it but, anyone else think it looks...bland?

Granted, I like the high ceilings and brightness but just looking at the renderings, especially of the baggage claim area, those steel beams remind me of a warehouse.

Also appears the central processing unit, where Terminal B is now, downsized.

Article also states they are building 3 widebody capable gates. They are thinking big, 40 gates should last SA awhile.

[Keegan-B-SATX]

Originally Posted by AI0120

I want to like it but, anyone else think it looks...bland?

Granted, I like the high ceilings and brightness but just looking at the renderings, especially of the baggage claim area, those steel beams remind me of a warehouse.

Also appears the central processing unit, where Terminal B is now, downsized.

Article also states they are building 3 widebody capable gates. They are thinking big, 40 gates should last SA awhile.

Unfortunately you're not alone.

I don't like this design at all. The main check in area is nothing more than a rectangular box with a slanted roof and windows. It's plain and boring.

I agree it looks like a warehouse.

Aesthetically it does not say "San Antonio" to me. I was hoping for something Ultra modern, sleek, with curves. Not another box building.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by AI0120

I want to like it but, anyone else think it looks...bland?

Granted, I like the high ceilings and brightness but just looking at the renderings, especially of the baggage claim area, those steel beams remind me of a warehouse.

Also appears the central processing unit, where Terminal B is now, downsized.

Article also states they are building 3 widebody capable gates. They are thinking big, 40 gates should last SA awhile.

Considering its just at 15% design, I'm not putting too much stock in the details. The big things here are the amount of space for concessions, airline lounges, and circulation with an open air feel and tons of light. And Corgan nailed it. I LOVE the central courtyard. Having an option besides sitting at a bar or in the gate area is always nice. As far as the central terminal, I have a feeling the thought process has changed on that. I could actually see them almost mirroring the terminal on the other side with the same shape to simplify the layout down the road with additional ticketing space. Just a thought, don't put weight on it. 3 gates for wide bodies should be enough for now. They start getting more long hauls? They'll need to up the number in future phases for sure since the gates will overlap space with narrow body gates.

[Tornado]

i'm a fan of the initial renderings/concepts. It's open and airy, lots of light. The interior courtyard is great. Also keep in mind that this terminal won't open till 2028 so they need to be flexible for any technology or changes that could happen in that time frame. Somebody better than I needs to post the initial renderings. I'm hoping terminal A will eventually get a total rebuild as there is no way to get around how cramped it is.

[texboy]

San Antonio unveils look at new $2.5B airport project

"If all goes as according to the schedule, we'll be putting shovels in the ground for pre-construction to start next year," Saenz said.


Some council members like Councilwoman Teri Castillo were concerned with the look of the preliminary designs not fitting the San Antonio aesthetic.


"I don't get any 'puro San Antonio' feel," said Councilman Mario Bravo.

Saenz said that there is still a lot of work to be done like textile choice, to get to the point where Terminal C will provide that "sense of place" council members seek.

[jaga185]

I can always appreciate Teri's opinion. Because I definitely agree with her and Bravo's.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

I got sunstroke just looking at the drop off area, yikes. They better extend that canopy all the way down the sidewalk.... looks great otherwise!

[TxTrashPanda]

Long time lurker, first time post.
I've been pretty excited about this, but was left with a "meh" feeling seeing it. Understandably the design isn't complete, and I get that, but you see where things are headed. Feels like a PDX lite as far as interior. I wonder where these design elements were borrowed from within the city, but perhaps cosmetics will address that. I don't like the buzz word narrative of "the new terminal", but will feel true when this probably has disjointed feeling for the coming decades. To be fair that's common, when you look at airports like Miami, or Salt Lake. Enough negative Nancy.

Things I like:
We're finally moving with this and not at a standstill.
Natural lighting will be good, and that I guess has a SA feel.
High ceilings are nice, and court yard approach is a much needed plus for connecting travelers.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by TxTrashPanda

Long time lurker, first time post.
I've been pretty excited about this, but was left with a "meh" feeling seeing it. Understandably the design isn't complete, and I get that, but you see where things are headed. Feels like a PDX lite as far as interior. I wonder where these design elements were borrowed from within the city, but perhaps cosmetics will address that. I don't like the buzz word narrative of "the new terminal", but will feel true when this probably has disjointed feeling for the coming decades. To be fair that's common, when you look at airports like Miami, or Salt Lake. Enough negative Nancy.

Things I like:
We're finally moving with this and not at a standstill.
Natural lighting will be good, and that I guess has a SA feel.
High ceilings are nice, and court yard approach is a much needed plus for connecting travelers.

Yeah, it is fairly generic. Nice, but generic.

[theOGalexd]

I think just having a modern terminal + more gates is a win in itself. I'd like to see more glass on the exterior but that's just me. I like how the inside is open and has a lot of natural light. Trying to think of what design elements would be "San Antonio-esque" but to me that says beige... so maybe it's not a bad thing to branch out a little lol.

I read something that AUS had like 21 million passengers last year and SAT had 9 mil. Not sure when that gap widened so much but that aspect is sort of concerning IMO.

When it's said and done with the gate expansions I guess it would put SAT in the MSY/DCA/SAN ballpark, at least as far as gate count.

[Sigaven]

These are obviously very preliminary renderings based on their sketch-like quality, but Lake Flato does some marvelous work, is globally known and they are quintessentially San Antonio. I don't think we'll be disappointed with the final product.

[JRG1974]

To be honest, I was excited by early rendering that showed a building with some nice character. In the end, I have flown to airports all around the country and I have given little consideration to how they look on the outside. In the past few years I have flown in and out of LA, Dallas (Love and DFW), Charlotte, Phoenix, Midway, Denver, Austin, Hobby, Charlotte, Omaha, Tulsa, Amarillo, St. Louis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dulles, and Nashville. I am sure there are people on here that I have been to even more airports than this. Of all of those places, only Denver had an exterior worth talking about, but even if it didn't I don't think it would have any impact on my flying experience. While I would be disappointed with a plain exterior, I would much rather they concentrate the money on the interior of the building. Most airports, in my opinion, are very plain and utilitarian on the outside.

That being said, I hope that the new terminal will have places to relax and eat, with plenty of seating so that I don't have to feel like I am on top of someone while I wait for a plane. I would like to see high ceilings, and plenty of TSA check points. Lots of restrooms with faucets and soap dispensers that work. Lots of places to sit, eat, and have tons of places to charge my electronics. Wide lanes to and from the gates with displays everywhere to show flight status.

I think that is what I really like about Dallas Love. It has pretty much all of these things. If they can execute all of that well, I am not too worried about it looking unique or specifically San Antonio. I would love it to look beautiful, but when I am spending time in an airport I just want to have my main needs met.

I agree that there should be more cover at the departure area. Overall I think the design is clean and modern. The interior looks like as office building. Nothing amazing, but it gets the job done.

"The amount of space allocated in the plan for concessions troubled Councilman John Courage (D9), given that SAT is an origin-and-destination airport and not a hub." I would rather we have too much than too little. You can make some of that space into a lounge area until the rest of the airport comes in. Adding space later would be hard. Most of the time, I find the eating area packed in Terminal A, mainly in the mornings. I hate getting to the airport early, because right now there is nowhere to sit and be productive. I agree that we are not a hub, but that does not mean we have to cut that area down.

In all I like what I am seeing. While I would like something amazing, I would not be bothered if it is plain and well executed.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by theOGalexd

I think just having a modern terminal + more gates is a win in itself. I'd like to see more glass on the exterior but that's just me. I like how the inside is open and has a lot of natural light. Trying to think of what design elements would be "San Antonio-esque" but to me that says beige... so maybe it's not a bad thing to branch out a little lol.

I read something that AUS had like 21 million passengers last year and SAT had 9 mil. Not sure when that gap widened so much but that aspect is sort of concerning IMO.

When it's said and done with the gate expansions I guess it would put SAT in the MSY/DCA/SAN ballpark, at least as far as gate count.

with the growth of ACL, SXSW, F1 in addition to the new tech hubs over the last decade, being the seat of govt for the State, etc, it's no question why their airport traffic has skyrocketed.

Fiesta is great but I don't know how many people that is drawing in from outside the region. Our growth is going to come from population growth over time and will get bumps from seasonal tourism, big sporting events like the final 4, and hopefully conventions.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by JRG1974

To be honest, I was excited by early rendering that showed a building with some nice character. In the end, I have flown to airports all around the country and I have given little consideration to how they look on the outside. In the past few years I have flown in and out of LA, Dallas (Love and DFW), Charlotte, Phoenix, Midway, Denver, Austin, Hobby, Charlotte, Omaha, Tulsa, Amarillo, St. Louis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dulles, and Nashville. I am sure there are people on here that I have been to even more airports than this. Of all of those places, only Denver had an exterior worth talking about, but even if it didn't I don't think it would have any impact on my flying experience. While I would be disappointed with a plain exterior, I would much rather they concentrate the money on the interior of the building. Most airports, in my opinion, are very plain and utilitarian on the outside.

That being said, I hope that the new terminal will have places to relax and eat, with plenty of seating so that I don't have to feel like I am on top of someone while I wait for a plane. I would like to see high ceilings, and plenty of TSA check points. Lots of restrooms with faucets and soap dispensers that work. Lots of places to sit, eat, and have tons of places to charge my electronics. Wide lanes to and from the gates with displays everywhere to show flight status.

I think that is what I really like about Dallas Love. It has pretty much all of these things. If they can execute all of that well, I am not too worried about it looking unique or specifically San Antonio. I would love it to look beautiful, but when I am spending time in an airport I just want to have my main needs met.

I agree that there should be more cover at the departure area. Overall I think the design is clean and modern. The interior looks like as office building. Nothing amazing, but it gets the job done.

"The amount of space allocated in the plan for concessions troubled Councilman John Courage (D9), given that SAT is an origin-and-destination airport and not a hub." I would rather we have too much than too little. You can make some of that space into a lounge area until the rest of the airport comes in. Adding space later would be hard. Most of the time, I find the eating area packed in Terminal A, mainly in the mornings. I hate getting to the airport early, because right now there is nowhere to sit and be productive. I agree that we are not a hub, but that does not mean we have to cut that area down.

In all I like what I am seeing. While I would like something amazing, I would not be bothered if it is plain and well executed.

Could not have said it better. It would only be a "nice to have" if the exterior was iconic like a Denver or LAX... but quite frankly, this airport needs to serve the passengers who use it. They need to make sure they are spending money on the stuff that has the ROI attached to them first, i.e. concessions, space for gates/seating, parking, advertising, airline lounges, correcting the god forsakenly narrow Terminal A central walkway etc. and then focus on the pretty things. This will turn out to be a great (at least a million times better than the existing) passenger experience no matter what from what I can tell from the renderings. Definitely not saying they shouldn't include SA flare in this. Its a must, but not at the total expense of the things that SAT has been severely lacking for decades now.

[JACKinBeantown]

Are those people on the upper level on a moving sidewalk? I sure hope so; that terminal is pretty long.

[Tornado]

I was watching the presentation online but I believe they said that portion is for the international passengers as they walk from customs or to customs. So they don't feel separated or something like that

[Dan In Real Life]

Originally Posted by theOGalexd

I think just having a modern terminal + more gates is a win in itself. I'd like to see more glass on the exterior but that's just me. I like how the inside is open and has a lot of natural light. Trying to think of what design elements would be "San Antonio-esque" but to me that says beige... so maybe it's not a bad thing to branch out a little lol.

I read something that AUS had like 21 million passengers last year and SAT had 9 mil. Not sure when that gap widened so much but that aspect is sort of concerning IMO.

When it's said and done with the gate expansions I guess it would put SAT in the MSY/DCA/SAN ballpark, at least as far as gate count.

This 100%. Whenever I hear that I think beige as well.

[texboy]

In other news, Spirit has announced daily non-stop service to Los Angeles starting in May, making them I believe the 4th carrier to serve LAX from SAT and their 5th destination out of SAT. Its been a big week for SAT!