flying high

San Antonio International Airport crowned Airport of the Year for diversity

SAT is going above and beyond for its diversity and inclusion efforts.

Great news is flying through Alamo City. The San Antonio International Airport (SAT) was just named Airport of the Year by the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC). This high honor highlights the airport's contributions to improving diversity and inclusion among its employees.

SAT was recognized during the 38th Annual AMAC Airport Business Diversity Conference's Catalyst Awards, where airports are spotlighted based on their efforts that further the Council's goals. A few of the prominent AMAC objectives include uplifting "minorities and women" within the aviation and aerospace sectors through "employment and contracting opportunities," according to a release.

Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports for the San Antonio Airport System (SAAS), said SAT's endeavors to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion are "an integral part of the workforce culture" within SAAS.

"AMAC’s mission is in line with our mission to deliver the San Antonio experience through transformation and talent by focusing on our people – both those we hire and the 10 million travelers we serve each year at SAT," Saenz said. "We are so proud of every team member at both SAT and Stinson Municipal Airport."

The San Antonio Airport System (SAAS) instated their Aviation Equity Initiative in 2020, leading to widespread community engagement, and greater involvement with school-age children. The initiative has allowed for more airport tours for historically disadvantaged and marginalized students, while advocating for more youth avian education.

SAAS also put greater focus on inclusionary hiring efforts in 2021, leading to more than half of the 114 employees that were hired or promoted that year being minorities.

SAT's Business Opportunity and Diversity Development (BODD) team was also recognized for their efforts.

More information about the AMAC Airport Business Diversity Conference can be found at amac-org.com.

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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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