10/13/2024
This is by far the BEST information on SOUTHWEST AIRLINES dealing with the San Antonio International Airport expansion and their delay to sign a long term lease like 9 other airlines have signed ALREADY!!! Summary: 9 other airlines have already signed for long term contracts at the Airport and we CANNOT delay the expansion for San Antonians!!!!
(I have also spoken with long time friends inside Southwest and they agree that Southwest is just trying to pay less for leases and landing fees, so it is a strategy to pay LESS......
Disclaimer: I have received legal briefings, so I cannot discuss the ongoing issues that Southwest is pushing and I serve as Commissioner in the Airport Advisory Commission and have worked for several airlines in route planning and sales programs).
City is delivering the airport San Antonio wants
The city of San Antonio cannot allow one carrier to halt the progress of the entire airport plan.
By Jeff Coyle,For the Express-News Oct 4, 2024
What do you want to see from your San Antonio International Airport?
More nonstop flights? Cheaper fares? Better terminal facilities? More parking?
For the city of San Antonio, these are our goals, too, and achieving them guided more than two years of negotiations — with all our airlines — on a 10-to-15-year lease agreement that will provide the financial foundation for the much-awaited expansion at our airport.
American, Alaska, Delta, Spirit, United, Viva Aerobus, FedEx and UPS have made a long-term commitment to San Antonio International Airport to help fund approximately $2 billion worth of improvements there, including renovations to existing terminals.
Southwest Airlines has made no such commitment, despite leading the negotiations on behalf of all the carriers.
After learning in May that other airlines would be in the new terminal, Southwest negotiated discounted lease rates and $200 million in improvements for Terminal A, to which the airport and other carriers agreed. Then, when it came time to sign off on the agreement airline officials negotiated, Southwest decided our efforts to accommodate their requests were not enough.
Now, through unnecessary litigation, Southwest seeks to undo the agreement that went into effect Oct. 1 and start the negotiations over again — effectively delaying the terminal development program indefinitely.
We cannot keep San Antonio International Airport the way it is and expect to meet the travel needs of the fastest-growing city in America.
When Airport Director Jesus Saenz arrived here in 2020 after a long career with the Houston Airport System, he immediately sought to increase competition among the carriers. And the results speak for themselves.
The airport is adding new nonstop destinations nearly every month: American to Philadelphia, Delta to Boston, Spirit to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando and more.
Since 2014, the number of departing seats from the major carriers has grown as follows:
• American: 68%
• Delta: 30%
• United: 25%
• Southwest: 17%
International traffic is also booming — up 200% in recent years. The San Antonio airport now has more nonstop flights to Mexico than any other medium hub in the country, and the 310-seat Condor flights crossing the Atlantic this summer were often more than 70% full.
Competition among airlines is good for consumers, as the average fare from San Antonio is now only $2 higher than Austin, compared to $42 in 2020.
Given that we have so many airline partners, each requesting more gates than they currently have, not every carrier can be in the new terminal.
The airport team and its expert consultants used an industry-standard process to assign gates with a focus on balancing the load of passengers across the entire complex, including parking, curbside, security checkpoints, customs, baggage handling and seating areas.
Southwest has protested loudly, claiming they were “promised” the new terminal. No one on the airport team made such a promise nor has the authority to do so.
There is great irony in Southwest attacking the airport’s data-driven process, while saying they should be in the new terminal because someone allegedly told them so.
At the end of the day, the San Antonio International Airport needs Southwest, and vice versa. Southwest and the airport have been great partners for decades, and we hope the airline is serious about growing its 35% market share. We believe Southwest is true to its word when officials say they are not leaving San Antonio. After all, Southwest recently announced added frequency into nine markets it serves from here.
But we cannot allow one carrier to halt the progress of the entire airport plan. We will vigorously defend the objective process we used and our right as the landlord of the airport to decide which tenants go where.
The city is committed to doing what is best for the more than 11 million passengers who use the airport every year.
Jeff Coyle is assistant city manager for the city of San Antonio.
Oct 4, 2024
