Southwest Airlines is continuing its legal battle against the City of San Antonio, claiming that airport officials misrepresented the facts to the courts and taxpayers in defense statements. The airline accuses the airport of unfair selection of the airlines that would use its new terminal.
Subjective preference for other airlines
On Thursday, February 27, 
Southwest Airlines
filed an amendment to its initial complaint, saying that there was evidence of airport officials showing “subjective preference” for certain airline services and making gate assignments based on whether airlines would be a better “fit” for the new terminal. According to the San Antonio Report, the evidence was confirmed by internal city documents recently obtained by the airline’s lawyers.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Southwest brought the lawsuit against the city and its director of airports in September for sidelining the airline in the new terminal plans and is now claiming damages for misrepresentation of facts. The low-cost carrier claims the city’s documents show that airport officials deliberately concealed plans to keep Southwest in Terminal A during negotiations over a new lease agreement.
According to lawyers, the concealment prevented the airline from insisting on the additional millions of dollars it considered necessary to renovate the old terminal. In September, the carrier declined to sign a new lease agreement with the city after two years of negotiations following the denial of a spot in
the new terminal
. Southwest does not see Terminal A meeting its future expansion plans.
The city attorney’s office stated that, based on a preliminary review, the airline’s amended complaint “recasts Southwest’s previous allegations but adds distortions and misrepresentations,” and the claims are without merit. The attorney’s office added,
“The city’s processes in negotiating an Airline Use and Lease Agreement with all of the airlines and in assigning gates were legal and appropriate. We look forward to the court hearing on these matters where we will address Southwest’s allegations. We will continue to move forward to expand the airport in a way that makes sense for our customers and our airlines.”
Related
Judge Denies Southwest Airlines’ Gate Lease Contract Injunction At San Antonio Airport
The conflict between Southwest Airlines and the airport flared up when the airline did not get gates at the airport’s upcoming Terminal C.
Selecting airlines for the new terminal
Seven other carriers have committed to entering a 10-year agreement stating the gates they will use and the amounts they will pay. According to airport officials, the future terminal and gate assignments are based on airlines’ requests and projected demand. The airport has gone through “a very rigorous, fair and equitable process to define specifically what is best for the airport, the airlines and the passengers,” said Director of Airports Jesus Saenz.
However, Southwest claims that the city “unlawfully and unfairly applied subjective criteria” to sideline the airline from using the new terminal because its passenger “profile” was considered inappropriate for the new facilities.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
On February 12, the city provided about 27,000 pages of discovery with information regarding the terminal, gate assignments, and lease agreement. Southwest’s latest complaint contains screenshots of gating scorecard worksheets, communications from officials, and a passenger survey. The carrier claims that the documents showed that the city preferred airlines that serve business travelers over Southwest’s leisure-focused passengers.
The complaint also cited documents from the principal architect, Corgan, with instructions to design the terminal around other airlines and lounges. Additionally, the complainants accuse airport officials of misleading the public and prioritizing lounges, although the survey results indicate that passengers prioritized other amenities over lounges.
San Antonio’s new terminal
San Antonio aims to enhance the overall passenger experience by improving the runways and facilities and
developing a world-class terminal complex
. The new terminal will have 17 domestic and international gates by mid-2028, accommodating expected growth through 2040. The airport also plans to increase concession and lounge space and have larger gate-hold rooms for enhanced passenger comfort.
Photo: San Antonio International Airport
According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Southwest Airlines is the largest carrier out of San Antonio, with nearly 400 departures and over 62,000 seats per week. American, United, and Delta all serve the airport, providing 153, 152, and 119 weekly departures, respectively, with their mainline fleets. Southwest’s top route from San Antonio is to Dallas-Love with 58 weekly flights, followed by Las Vegas with 34 flights and Phoenix with 32 flights.
