Progressive Views: More Direct Flights to SAT, Please
Getting a direct flight from the San Antonio Airport (SAT) to Reagan National in DC is a “massive priority”, says Ted Cruz, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The main obstacles to a direct flight are FAA rules that restrict the number of flights into Reagan and the distance of the flight. Exceptions must be sought to both rules in order to establish a flight, and it’s long past time for such an exception to be granted to SAT. SAT recently broke ground on a five-year, $2.5 billion expansion that will include a new Terminal C (which will be larger than the current Terminals A and B combined and add 17 new gates), a much-needed renovation of the outdated Terminal A, and upgrades to the airfield and roadway. Currently, SAT has 10 million passengers a year, an average of 25,000 a day. These improvements will accommodate a projected growth to 15 million passengers per year over the next twenty years. A news release in August from SAT stated, “SAT made history in July with more than one million passengers flying in and out of the airport.” It's high time for SAT to amp up its game and obtain more nonstops, which will benefit anyone who travels.
