When you sit down to your grandma’s famous stuffing and homemade rolls next week, you could be giving thanks for a parking spot at the San Antonio airport — if you plan ahead.
There are 10,000 vehicle parking spaces for air travelers spread across surface lots and garages at the San Antonio International Airport (SAT). Another 750 on-site spaces are reserved for airport workers.
But the crush of travelers expected for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday week calls for a turkey-proof strategy, say airport officials.
The travel booking service AAA estimates that the upcoming five-day holiday period will be the busiest Thanksgiving for air travel since 2005.
In San Antonio, there are no less than 30,000 more airline seats available this year between Nov. 17 and 26 compared to 2022, said Ryan Rocha, chief of operations at the San Antonio airport, thanks in part to increased air service and routes and aircraft size.
The busiest days will be Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, he said.
Typically, about 20% of outbound travelers will park a car at the airport.
If that’s your plan, you can check online to see what’s available in the surface lots and garages ahead of time by going to flysanAntonio.com/parking.
The options include a long-term parking garage where the Park Assist camera system counts spaces and indicates open spaces with a green light, and also provides security while your car is there, Rocha said.
The cost is $16 a day and discounts are available to veterans and those with disabilities.
On-site surface parking lots provide spaces at $10 a day and free shuttle service to the terminal. The shuttle circulates about every 5-8 minutes at peak times of the day.
If you’re visiting the airport to pick up your elderly Aunt Jane or have a welcome-home party for your soldier, the short-term garage parking is available for between $3 (for up to 30 minutes) or $29 a day. The first 15 minutes is free.
A pick-up-and-go option costs nothing. For those who want to collect their family and friends arriving in the lower-level drive-through lanes, a “cell phone lot” lets you wait near the airport until you get the call that they are ready to be picked up.
In 2020, the airport also introduced Fly Away Valet, a service that lets you pre-book a space for hourly use or overnight, then drive directly into the first level of the garage and hand your keys to a valet.
The service began with 50 spaces. Due to its popularity after the pandemic had waned, it now provides 600 spaces, Rocha said. “All of level-zero in the short-term garage is for valet — that’s how much demand we have for it.”
Spaces are usually available and Rocha said he’s never seen it fill to capacity.
The service is $33 a day and comes with a few other perks like luggage assistance and windshield cleaning. You can also schedule to have your car ready and waiting when you return.
Other options for getting to the airport but eliminating the parking hassles include asking your best friend to give you a lift, of course, but also using a rideshare like Uber or Lyft, or a taxi or car service.
The Wall Street Journal recently ranked the San Antonio airport second for its ease of using rideshares and taxis and also named SAT the second-best overall among all midsize airports.
Bus service to the airport on VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Park & Ride is another option.
In June, VIA introduced airport bus service from the Stone Oak Park & Ride, located at U.S. Highway 281 and Stone Oak Parkway on the far North Side.
The 15-20 minute ride is available weekdays every 30 minutes between 5:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. The cost is $2.60 each way.
