Officials with Southwest Airlines and San Antonio International Airport have reached an out-of-court settlement in their long-simmering legal fight over gate assignments.
Under the agreement, details of which were shared Thursday in an emailed statement, Fort Worth-based Southwest will gain a minimum of six gates in the airport: three in the $1.7 billion Terminal C, set to open in 2028, and three in the renovated Terminal B.
Southwest filed the suit against the airport and Director Jesus Saenz in 2024, arguing that he promised the carrier gates in the state-of-the-art Terminal C multiple times between 2021 and 2024.
Instead, the airline remained stuck in the oldest, smallest terminal in the airport, Terminal A, Southwest argued in its suit. Company officials maintained the terminal’s 75-foot-wide concourse prevented it from growing at its planned rate.
As a result of the settlement, Southwest Airlines said it will “withdraw pending litigation” against the airport in federal court and in front of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The settlement also resolves issues with rates and charges, officials said. Additionally, the deal reinforces Southwest’s presence as San Antonio International’s largest carrier. The airline transports nearly 37% of the airport’s passengers.
“Together, Southwest and SAT look forward to a continued partnership that benefits San Antonio and supports the Airport’s mission of providing travelers with an exceptional travel experience,” the statement added.
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Officials estimate that more than 137,000 travelers will traverse through San Antonio International Airport between now and Monday.
So far, 10 Monday flights into or out of the airport have been scrapped, and dozens are delayed.
‘It is possible that travelers may be impacted by reductions in service at other airports,’ officials said.