Originally Posted by
Deltahater
SAT is such a small little airport that I am confused as to why they do that. Maybe because the airport is under construction as they are adding a new terminal, but still.. other airlines are at 30 minutes and that puts DL at a competitive disadvantage
Originally Posted by
AndyTLe
Agreed. It could be an issue getting the bags from Delta to TSA and onto the planes in time.
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Originally Posted by
csgoalie
Perhaps they are downsizing staff at SAT, and want to make sure that the remaining lucky ones have enough time to do their job (along with their former co-workers' jobs).
I used to be based at SAT (left a year ago) and was traveling in/out on a regular basis until Feb 2008.
There are two terminals at SAT - DL is in the same terminal as WN, NW, YX, UA, and a couple of others. The old terminal has AA, CO, and US. DL's terminal has the checked baggage x-rays in the lobby, so whatever issue there is isn't a "behind the scenes" TSA issue.
I suspect that this is related somehow to construction at the airport. SAT is building a whole new terminal between the DL (Term 1) and AA (Term 2) terminals. I think that the construction will affect ramp space, (though primarily for WN's operation), and may affect baggage handling, too. It certainly will affect traffic.
As it is, the security check in BOTH SAT terminals is hideous. Term 1 (DL/WN) can reach up to 45 minutes on a Monday AM, depending on how many lanes the TSA bothers to open. Term 2 (AA/CO) is much, much worse - there have been delays exceeding 1:15 - 1:30 just to clear security (I've stood in line at that terminal for nearly an hour one Monday at 6 AM). Even the airport management warns people to arrive 2-2:30 before their flight.
FWIW, because of the construction you'll want to arrive early in any event. The road system at the airport is under construction, and (because the new terminal will attach to the existing T1 (DL/WN), I'd expect that there will be disruptions there, too. It's not like construction folks (or airport management) does much to arrange work/configurations/detours for the convenience of anyone but themselves..... (personal opinion only).