105. The Last Word - Nonstop: San Antonio’s New Direct Flight to DC
San Antonio has finally secured a long-awaited nonstop flight to Washington, D.C. But will it last? In this Last Word, Bob discusses the significance of the new direct route, why it took decades to become a reality, and what it will take to keep it....
San Antonio has finally secured a long-awaited nonstop flight to Washington, D.C. But will it last? In this Last Word, Bob discusses the significance of the new direct route, why it took decades to become a reality, and what it will take to keep it.
Tune in for insights on how air travel shapes San Antonio’s business, civic, and military connections.
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The Last Word: The Flight San Antonio Has Wanted for Decades—Will It Last?
This week marked the first nonstop flight from San Antonio International to Washington Reagan in the nation’s capital. For business and civic leaders here, it’s been the top aviation priority for at least two decades. Congress has long resisted the city’s efforts, citing Washington Reagan’s already crowded runways.
The San Antonio Report sent a reporter on the inaugural flight that was filled with local leaders and elected officials embarking on the San Antonio Chamber’s annual SA to DC trip.
The success or failure of the daily service will be determined by how much demand there proves to be for the flight. The city’s military ties, business relationships, and the need of all big metros to lobby Congress and tend relationships with government agencies have long been the talking points locals have used in pursuing the nonstop flight.
Still, San Antonio will need a steady flow of business travelers and a healthy number of leisure travelers to meet expectations that airlines use in deciding what routes to keep and which ones to jettison.
In recent years, San Antonio has won and then lost nonstop service to different destinations. The Air Canada nonstop to Toronto and the Condor Airlines nonstop to Frankfurt both went away after one year. Last year, JetBlue discontinued its nonstop service to Boston from San Antonio. The city pays subsidies to airlines to help establish new nonstop routes, but such taxpayer-supported subsidies only go so far. Sooner or later, airlines, I’m told, “count butts in seats” and use that data to make decisions.
All to say, I like visiting our nation's capital, with its architecture, walkability, world-class museums and the Potomac River. So I look forward to booking later this year. But the city will first have to prove it has enough business travelers, and enough leisure travelers with disposable income to regularly fill the flights.
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[00:00:00] Bob Rivard: Welcome to The Last Word, my weekly commentary on life and work in San Antonio and Texas. This week marked the first non stop flight from San Antonio International to Washington Reagan in the nation's capital.
[00:00:16] Bob Rivard: For business and civic leaders here, it's been the top aviation priority for at least two decades, and now American Airlines is offering that service on a daily basis. The San Antonio Report sent a reporter on the inaugural flight that was filled with local leaders and elected officials embarking on the San Antonio Chamber's annual S. A. to D. C.
[00:00:35] Bob Rivard: trip. The success or failure of the daily service, however, will be determined by how much demand there proves to be for the flight going forward. The city's military ties, business relationships, and the need of all big metros to lobby Congress and tend relationships with government agencies. have long been the talking points locals have used in pursuing the non stop flight.
[00:00:57] Bob Rivard: Still, San Antonio will need a steady [00:01:00] flow of business travelers and a healthy number of leisure travelers to meet expectations that airlines use in deciding what routes to keep and which ones to jettison. In recent years, San Antonio has won and then lost nonstop service to different destinations. The Air Canada nonstop flight to Toronto and the Condor Airlines nonstop flight to Frankfurt, Germany both went away after one year.
[00:01:24] Bob Rivard: Its non stop service to Boston from San Antonio. The city pays subsidies to airlines to help establish new non stop routes, but such taxpayer supported subsidies only go so far. Sooner or later, airlines, I'm told, count butts in seats and use that data to make their decisions. All to say, I like visiting our nation's capital with its architecture, walkability, world class museums, and the Potomac River, so I look forward to booking the flight later this year.
[00:01:56] Bob Rivard: But the city will first have to prove to American Airlines it has [00:02:00] enough business travelers and enough leisure travelers with disposable income to regularly fill the flights. That's my last word for this week. Thank you for listening and sharing this with colleagues and friends. And please sign up for our new newsletter, Monday Musing, big city, small town is brought to you by Western Urban Building, the city our children want to call home, and Geekdom, where startups are born and smart ideas become businesses.
[00:02:24] Bob Rivard: Our producer is Cory Ames, video by Erica Rempel, sound engineering by Alfie De La Garza of Sound Crane Audio. We will see you next week.
