San Antonio International Airport is looking at a boom year for passengers, as the airport is looking at a record of more than 10 million people getting onto and getting off of planes in 2018, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
In August, for example, 881,000 passengers made their way through the airport. That is up 17%, or some 125,000 passengers, over August of last year.
“This is our best period in more than a decade. Passenger totals for 2018 are approaching 10 million and the demand for air travel continues to increase,” said Russ Handy, Aviation Director for the City of San Antonio.
Several factors are blamed for the huge increase in air traffic, and for boosting the much maligned airport into a massive tourism and business force.
One is the number of attractions in the city this year which have drawn visitors, from the Final Four to The Tricentennial.
The strong local and national economy also plays a key role, because it gives people more money to travel and it encourages business travel.
The airport has also seen major additions in non stop flights from Frontier, Southwest and American Airlines. Fewer passengers are driving to Austin Bergstrom Airport due to a greater number of flights to choose from out of SAT.
And there are also significant improvements being made to the airport itself, with the new Consolidated Rental Car facility right across from the terminal, to improvements to the terminals themselves.
Airport officials say with the holidays and the super busy military 'exodus' still ahead, significant passenger numbers will be recorded over the coming three months.