Only slightly larger than the facility it's replacing, the new Terminal B at International Airport could have an oversized impact on both travelers and the city's aviation future.
"This is a big step forward for travelers' convenience and to make the airport more attractive for future airline investments and more flights," Mayor Julian Castro said of the $108 million terminal that will be unveiled to the public today. The new terminal will be open for airline traffic next month.
Jim Perschbach, an attorney who chairs Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce aerospace committee, said the facility represents "a night-and-day" difference for travelers compared to what they experienced in the old Terminal 2, a 1950s-era facility that was modernized for HemisFair in 1968.
But it also will be more "airline friendly," Perschbach said, with gates that can be easily reconfigured to handle aircraft of varying sizes and other features that make the airport more attractive to carriers.
"We've got really a first-class facility," Perschbach said.
Today, more than two years after ground was broken on the replacement terminal, city and congressional leaders will hold ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the 251,000-square-foot structure, and the public will have a chance to tour it. Tours are scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m.
As for opening for business, the goal is to have final certifications complete and security checks done before Thanksgiving, when holiday travel hits high gear.
But aviation officials are eager to show the public and the aviation community the crowning piece of a $635 million capital program at the airport that has created more long-term parking, doubled the facility's vehicle-carrying capacity with a bi-level roadway and improved other features, including its baggage-handling and screening system.
"It's really a new face for San Antonio," airport spokesman Rich Johnson said. "This will be a much more efficient and pleasant facility and a stepping stone to that next stage of expansion."
The new terminal won't immediately mean new direct flights for San Antonio. The city has worked feverishly to being new flights here, especially since 2008 when flight counts gained prominence after AT&T moved its headquarters to Dallas, in part because of San Antonio's lack of direct flights.
Terminal B will have the same number of passenger gates - eight - as the terminal it replaces. Johnson said two of those will be closed until the old Terminal 2 is demolished by the end of next year.
The new facility will handle the same number of flights and additional gates could be added to the existing Terminal 1 if the need arises. Terminal 1 will be renamed Terminal A next month to avoid confusion with the changes.
The city had plans to construct a third terminal at the airport when construction of Terminal B started in 2008. But the recession put those plans on hold last year. When they will resume is uncertain.
Still, the new terminal should attract more airline interest, if not because gate operations provide more flexibility then because passenger satisfaction should improve, officials said.
And they believe satisfaction will improve.
The new terminal has 23-foot ceilings in one area, providing a more open feel than the old terminal and features lighter colors, more artwork and San Antonio-inspired designs for an updated, local flavor.
The mix of retailers has changed, as well. It includes a chocolate candy store and an electronics store where passengers can rent DVDs. Some of the seats in the passenger waiting areas are equipped with outlets for charging computers and digital devices.
Between the two terminals is a consolidated baggage handling and screening system that will simplify screening of checked-in baggage and free up space the system had occupied in the Terminal 1 lobby.
"It will change our image," said Johnson of the package of changes.
He said Continental and American airlines will be assigned the gates in the new terminal, but it will have room for a third airline if necessary.