Spring break is next week, and the San Antonio International Airport wants to make sure you’re prepared.
“We came to San Antonio on Thursday, and we’re going back to Tampa,” said Michael Murphy, a traveler. “It was good. We ate a lot.”
The early spring break crowd is here in San Antonio.
“Fredericksburg was really cool,” Murphy said.
Even non-spring breakers are in the airports.
“I was doing my friend’s wedding, so that’s what I was here for,” said Samridhi Gupta, another traveler.
Jesus Saenz, director of airports for San Antonio, said, “Just for the week of spring break, we anticipate over 130,000 people traveling.”
With 10,000 more travelers expected this year compared to last, officials at the airport say it’s important to pack your patience.
“We have what we call a ‘concept of operations.’ We call it a ‘con ops’ that we perform for every holiday peak season that we have here. So (it’s) similar for spring break,” Saenz said.
Airport officials use their “con ops” to coordinate with stakeholders, safety, maintenance, and airlines to ensure travelers get to their destinations safely.
Southwest Airlines, which had major cancellations during the holiday season, said the following in a statement: “In 2023, Southwest has already hired more than 1,400 new employees to support our customers, flight schedule, and operations.”
Meanwhile, American Airlines wrote, “American is ready to welcome spring break travelers onboard flights throughout our global network.”
“We’re in constant conversations with (airline about, you know, their plans as we look at the increase of the passengers that are going to be that are going to be here.,” Saenz said.
With a busier-than-normal week on the horizon, Saenz recommends getting to the airport two hours early, checking on your flight before you get here, and making sure your travel documents are ready to go.
“We’re excited about getting back to business. And whatever this new normal is going to look like, we’re excited for it. And, you know, we enjoy the fact of the terminals being full again,” Saenz said.
According to airport officials, airlines increase the number of seats available to popular spring break spots.
- Florida: Up 37%
- Colorado: Up 37%
- Utah: Up 28%
- Mexico: Up 28%
- Arizona: Up 3%