South San Antonio News

San Antonio International Airport (SAT) and American Airlines have announced a partnership aimed at initiating nonstop service from San Antonio to Washington, D.C. This development comes after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill authorized five new roundtrip flights at Reagan National Airport (DCA). Upon availability of these slots, American Airlines will apply to the U.S. Department of Transportation to initiate service from SAT to DCA.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg expressed his gratitude for the initiative, stating, “We have been working for more than a decade to give residents of America’s seventh-largest city the same access to our nation’s leaders as nearly every other major city in the country.” He also thanked Senator Cruz and the congressional delegation for their efforts and looked forward to Secretary Buttigieg’s approval of American’s application.

San Antonio serves a regional population of over 5.2 million people and hosts one of the largest concentrations of military bases in the country. The proposed nonstop flight between San Antonio and Reagan National is expected to save the military and its partners more than 500,000 man-hours annually.

American Executive Vice President Nate Gatten said, “With Congress increasing the number of long-distance flights at DCA, American is thrilled to announce its intent to apply to serve San Antonio International Airport (SAT) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).”

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz worked with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell to secure language for five new slots in the reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration. Following Senate approval last week, today saw an overwhelming House approval.

Senator Cruz stated, “I am thrilled that the City of San Antonio is now positioned to directly access our nation’s capital with a non-stop flight into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport."

Currently, there are no direct flights from SAT to DCA, which requires San Antonio travelers to make connections through other airports or take ground transportation from Dulles International Airport or Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to Washington, D.C. The proposed nonstop service by American would increase competition for Texas consumers by adding a fourth carrier flying from SAT to a third different airport in the DC/Maryland/Virginia region.

Once the President signs the FAA bill into law, the U.S. Department of Transportation will have 60 days to award the five slot pairs to airlines and their proposed routes. American Airlines' sole application will be to serve SAT.