SAN ANTONIO — Southwest Airlines is questioning its future at the San Antonio International Airport.
Over the last two years, the airport agreed in good faith that Southwest would have the largest terminal as expansion efforts continue, with 10 gates.
But this summer, the airline says, the San Antonio International Airport (SAT) changed that agreement to allot them just six gates at Terminal A. Irked by that change, Southwest backed out of its extension with SAT that could have lasted anywhere from 10 to 15 years.
"We don’t see that $200 million in renovations (planned for Terminal A) is enough to accommodate the space necessary to grow to the projection Southwest Airlines had," said Sherri Hull, director of governmental affairs for Southwest.
Another Southwest Airlines spokesperson said they believed SAT offered Terminal C and its 10 gates to other airlines who can cater to "elite customers," which Southwest said isn't its customer target.
Handling almost 40% of all passengers at the airport, Hull said they were under the impression during the last two years of negotiations that the airline would have the largest terminal.
As of now, Hull says they don't believe they will. San Antonio airport officials are saying differently.
"We want to create an environment where everyone is competitive and we understand that not everyone can win every time," said Jesus Saenz, director of SAT. "But we are going to do our best to provide our best level of service to all our carriers.”
Hull said they are looking forward to working with the airport to see where they can move forward from here. They expect to bring in 50% of the traffic at the airport in the coming years and want the space to do so.
"We’re going to continue to remain professional and committed to Southwest Airlines and all our carriers to provide the best level of service," Saenz said.
"We look forward to identifying solutions that will allow for the certainty Southwest needs in terms of what it means for overall costs, if it changes the deal or if a deal can be made," Hull added.
The deadline to finalize a contract extension is Sept. 30. If Southwest doesn't sign its name on the dotted line by then, it becomes a "non-signatory airline." The existing contract, meanwhile, isn't up until the end of 2024.