Twice as nice

Spirit Airlines flies into San Antonio with 2 new destinations in 2023

Spirit Airlines has officially taken off from San Antonio International Airport.

Courtesy of Spirit

After its highly anticipated debut at San Antonio International Airport (SAT), Spirit Airlines celebrated its official launch of service on November 17 with a special announcement. Adding two new destinations to its departures list, the budget airline will fly from San Antonio to four total cities daily, starting in 2023.

Spirit currently flies to Las Vegas (LAS) and Orlando (MCO) from San Antonio, and the two new routes will include Baltimore/Washington, D.C., (BWI) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Daily service to BWI and FLL is slated to begin on March 8, 2023.

"It's exciting to kick off our new service with plans to grow and give San Antonio travelers even more low-fare options to explore popular vacation destinations," said Lania Rittenhouse, Vice President of Guest Experience, Brand and Communications for Spirit Airlines and President of the Spirit Charitable Foundation, in a release. "We can't wait to welcome Guests from San Antonio onboard one of the youngest fleets in the industry and give back to the community through the Spirit Charitable Foundation."

Commemorating its new service in San Antonio, the Spirit Charitable Foundation made a $20,000 donation to Soldiers' Angels for the distribution of aid, comfort, and resources to the military, veterans, and families living in San Antonio. The nonprofit works with deployed and wounded service members, veterans, and their families, to ensure that those who serve or have served are supported, uplifted, and remembered.

"We are so grateful for the incredible support we have received from The Spirit Charitable Foundation," said Amy Palmer, Soldiers' Angels President and CEO, in the release. "We know how important supporting veterans and active military is to the foundation and we are thrilled to establish this ongoing partnership which will facilitate their desire to give back to those who have served."

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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