There is new hope that San Antonio's airport can receive a badly needed boost, a non stop flight to and from Washington Reagan National Airport, News Radio 1200 WOAI's Michael Board reports.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) tells News Radio 1200 WOAI that there is a movement to get Congress, which controls routes in and out of Washington National, to allow a San Antonio flight. He says an airline has stepped up and said it would consider offering the flight, which is a key step in getting one approved.
"Southwest already sent a letter saying we would be interested in this," Cuellar said. "This would be a new, creative way to address this."
With the city's massive U.S. Government presence, which is growing with the addition of the large cybersecurity component, non stop flights to Washing National, which is in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, are seen as critical for the continued growth of the industry.
Likewise, a continued lack of a Washington National non-stop is seen as a key reason why a future Base Closing Commission may decide to downgrade San Antonio's defense infrastructure.
"A direct flight would make a lot of sense for everybody," Cuellar said. "Not just for the military, but for the general business population that we have in San Antonio."
The problems with San Antonio's airport and its impact on economic growth were made clear earlier this week, when Brad Parscale, who was the very successful digital director of the Trump Campaign, announced he is moving the political and data operations of his firm Giles-Parscale out of San Antonio to Florida for one reason--the lack of non stop flights out of San Antonio.
Parscale told 1200 WOAI news over the past several months that the one thing he learned on the Trump campaign trail was the inadequacy of San Antonio International.
"During the campaign, when people were visiting us, especially from large companies like Facebook and Google, the one thing they inevitably said that, while they love the city, it is so difficult to get here," Parscale told 1200 WOAI news in March.
These woes are not new. In 2008, when AT&T decided to move its corporate headquarters out of San Antonio, the main factor cited by CEO Randall Stephenson was San Antonio's lack of non stop flights.
The growth of Austin Bergstrom International Airport has made the situation even worse. Austin Bergstrom has more than twice the number of non stop flights as San Antonio International, with trendy airlines like Jet Blue and Alaska, and non stops to Europe, as well as Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean
.It is estimated that as many as 20% of San Antonio residents, especially those living on the north and northeast sides, drive to Austin to take commercial flights, rather than using San Antonio International.