MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME

San Antonio Airport flies past the rest with second shortest security wait times in the U.S.

Average wait times at the San Antonio airport are just under 18 minutes.

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What is the worst aspect about airports, and why is it the wait times in the TSA lines? Nothing is worse than arriving to the airport within a reasonable timeframe prior to your flight, only to spend most of it waiting behind 30 other people to remove your shoes and belt, walk through a metal detector, and have your carry-on analyzed by agents who are probably thinking about traveling themselves.

Luckily for San Antonio travelers, wait times at the San Antonio International Airport (SAT) add up to just under 18 minutes, making it the airport with the second shortest security wait times, according to a new study by luggage storage locator Bounce. The report analyzed the average flight processing times for security checks and passport control for several major airports around the country, not including baggage retrieval or navigation times.

On average, travelers at SAT only spend a little more than six minutes in line for security, and international travelers spend an additional 11.5 minutes at passport control. Bounce's study attributes the short wait times due to SAT not being a central hub for any specific airline.

"The airport primarily serves domestic flights, which could contribute to shorter wait times at passport control and security," the report said.

San Antonio jumped six places from 2022, where it previously ranked No. 8, after improving wait times by five minutes.

The airport that outranked SAT to take the top spot in the report is the Baltimore/Washington International Airport in Maryland, whose average wait times come out to less than 15 minutes. No other Texas airports appeared in the top 10.

The top 10 U.S. airports with the shortest wait times are:

No. 1 – Baltimore/Washington International Airport
No. 2 – San Antonio International Airport
No. 3 – San Jose International Airport
No. 4 – Newark Liberty International Airport
No. 5 – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
No. 6 – Sacramento International Airport
No. 7 – Raleigh-Durham International Airport
No. 8 – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
No. 9 – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
No. 10 – Denver International Airport

In the analysis of the American airports with the longest wait times, the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York earned the top spot with an average wait time of over 48 minutes. Rounding out the top five are the San Francisco International Airport (No. 2), Miami International Airport (No. 3), Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (No. 4), and the Orlando International Airport (No. 5).

The full report can be found on usebounce.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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