Live music is a big part of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Some big names have performed on stages or with standing mics.
Chris Stokes, Courtesy of Austin-Begstrom International Airport
Hurling through the sky in an airtight metal tube shoulder to shoulder with strangers or loved ones can be uncomfortable. Flying is stressful. Nobody is debating that. But does the trip from the car to the cabin have to be? With some local flare and hometown comforts, local airports are working to battle the boarding process of yesteryear. You have to spend two hours there, after all.
In most cases, folks are told to arrive at the airport at least two hours before their flight – a timespan that quickly climbs during peak seasons or during times of delay (a government shutdown). And many of those wait times are filled with loading up on snacks from some commercial-grade vendor or chain restaurant, leaving folks weighing options that don’t give them any sense of place.
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Well, for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), that’s never been the vibe. And the San Antonio International Airport is following suit, particularly as it continues work on its sprawling, 850,000-square-foot expansion.
Amy’s Ice Cream, an Austin-based staple in Texas, has had a presence in the Austin airport since Day One in 1999.
Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
“Unlike most airports that heavily rely on national chains, as you know, we pioneered the local brand concept. And we have about 85% local brands and only about 15% international brands that are represented at AUS today,” Kimmie Hey, public relations manager for AUS, told MySA.
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Live music is a big part of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Some big names have performed on stages or with standing mics, like Boy Genius.
Chris Stokes, Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
In fact, she says it’s been part of the airport’s DNA since its inception in 1999. On opening day that year, Salt Lick Barbecue BBQ, Amy’s Ice Cream, BookPeople and Austin City Limits all had a presence at the international hub. And they’re still there today.
That’s right – there’s live music at the international airport stationed in the Live Music Capital of the World. If we’re talking creating a sense of place in what can otherwise feel like a 2-hour trip through a very depressing, and invasive, mall, it really doesn’t get truer to Austin’s identity than a band jamming as you’re chomping on some homemade barbecue.
24 Diner is a local favorite in Austin and just one of many examples of how the Austin-Bergstrom Airport is keeping its terminals weird, just like the city it reps.
Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
This focus on featuring the very brands that create the culture of Austin – as weird as it is – is paying off. Hey says visitors are constantly ranking the local concessions among their favorite, whether that be Tex-Mex joints or a barbecue spot or even the kinds of local craft beer you can only get in a town like Austin. I mean, in 2024 they sold almost 170,000 pounds of brisket and 1.15 million tacos out of the airport.
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This enticing take on airport offerings, which both gives people a taste of home before going sky high or gives visitors an instant taste of town, has other terminals shifting. John Gallo, deputy chief of commercial development at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told MySA that airports across the country are reaching out, even touring the place, to get inspiration.
“The interest goes beyond concessions alone—other airports are also looking to recreate the strong sense of place that AUS has cultivated. At AUS, this program is not only about showcasing local brands but also about how it integrates seamlessly with art, live music, and support from airline partners, resulting in a uniquely Austin experience for travelers,” Gallo told MySA in a written statement.
Whether or not San Antonio is looking to its neighbor for inspiration is well is unclear, but San Antonio International Airport’s Property and Development Manager Rick Neel says his new focus on bringing in local talent is based on data. Surveyed customers, both locally and nationally, repeatedly said they want to see the city they’re entering or leaving represented in the airport.
There’s always been shops in San Antonio International Airport to grab a book or a bite, but SAT is prioritizing local offerings. Among them, is Confluence Market.
Courtesy of San Antonio International Airport
For years, there have been local spots to pop in SAT. Merit Coffee has shop just on the other side of security, and La Gloria has been serving up traditional Mexican dishes for years. But it’s all lost in a sea of chains that can feel a little limiting. But that’s changing quickly as a cohort of renowned San Antonio chefs – many who rose to local fame through The Pearl – like Johnny Hernanez, Nicola Blaque (Freight) and The Jerk Shack inked deals and began their takeover of former chains.
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Johnny Hernandez has been operating a San Antonio favorite, La Gloria, out of the airport for years. But with a push from SAT to up its local game, he’s now constructing another concept deemed Chef Johnny’s Mercado.
Courtesy of San Antonio International Airport
“A lot of passengers we interviewed really want that comfort food, something that’s local that represents San Antonio,” Neel told MySA. “That’s definitely a part of the process that we really outlined and kind of empathized… But we want to be unique here at SAT. I guess it’s a balancing act and trying to find that right mixture of concessions, food and beverage, retail and brands which we feel represent San Antonio – our culture.”
Already, 12 projects at the San Antonio airport have been filed, including Johnny Hernandez’s Mercado, Pharm Table, Alamo Tequila Bar, Chef Jeff Balfour’s Southerleigh, Chef Jason Dady’s Tre Pizzeria, Feliz Modern (a local gift shop stocking small business finds), and more. Many of these projects should be wrapped up by the end of 2025 or by March of 2026. But this is just the start of San Antonio’s focus on keeping culture present throughout the terminals, especially as a massive expansion is underway.
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“Especially for the new terminal,” Neel said. “Once that opens, there will be a large local presence and, of course, a bigger pre-security concession program.”
Pharm Table has quickly become a favorite for San Antonio residents since it opened in 2015. It moved to a its current home in Southtown back in 2021, but it’s got new digs underway at the San Antonio airport.
Courtesy of San Antonio International Airport