Ready for takeoff

San Antonio airport flies high among world's best for on-time travel

Last year, 81.2 percent of flights at SAT were on time.

San Antonio International Airport/Facebook

For air travelers, few things are more irritating than flight delays. But for passengers at San Antonio International Airport, those irritations are relatively minimal.

In a report released January 3 by aviation data provider OAG, SAT ranks No. 12 for timely takeoffs and landings among midsize airports worldwide. Last year, 81.2 percent of flights at San Antonio International Airport were on time, the report says. It's the best record of the Texas airports studied.

OAG defines on-time performance as flights that arrive or depart within 15 minutes of their scheduled times. It places airports into five categories (mega, major, large, midsize, and small) based on their passenger capacity.

Elsewhere in Texas, delays are minimal, too. Houston’s George W. Bush Intercontinental Airport soars to No. 9 among major global airports, scoring an on-time record of 79.25 percent last year. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport flies to the No. 10 spot among mega global airports for timeliness. Last year, 76.78 percent of flights at DFW were on time, the report says.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport ranks 19th among large global airports. In 2019, 80.12 percent of its flights were on time. (Houston’s Hobby Airport and Dallas Love Field weren't included in the report.)

In the OAG report, Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport lands in the No. 1 spot among mega airports, with an on-time record of 86.87 percent in 2019. For mega airports in the U.S., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport claims the top ranking (83.74 percent), followed by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Denver International Airport, and DFW.

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Turkey Day news

San Antonio eats up top-10 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie at Kona Grill in San Antonio

Photo courtesy of Kona Grill

San Antonio is one of the best place to celebrate Thanksgiving in Texas in 2024.

San Antonio is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

San Antonio ranked No. 7 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a big leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 14, and remains the second highest-ranked city in Texas.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The categories that San Antonio ranked the highest in were the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 2), and affordability (No. 11), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 90). Other categories that determined San Antonio's overall ranking were the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 14), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 75).

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, San Antonio will be fully decked for the December holidays. San Antonians who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. The home of the Alamo certainly goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked two spots above San Antonio as the fifth best city for Thanksgiving. Houston ranked No. 23, while Austin only came in at No. 39.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

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