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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.<\/p>\n
Chris Stokes, Courtesy of Austin-Begstrom International Airport<\/p>\n
Hurling through the sky in an airtight metal tube shoulder to shoulder with strangers or loved ones can be uncomfortable. Flying<\/a> 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 <\/a>are working to battle the boarding process of yesteryear. You have to spend two hours there, after all.<\/p>\n In most cases, folks are told to arrive at the airport at least two hours before their flight \u2013 a timespan that quickly climbs during peak seasons or during times of delay (a government shutdown<\/a>). 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\u2019t give them any sense of place.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Well, for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS),<\/a> that\u2019s never been the vibe. And the San Antonio International Airport <\/a>is following suit, particularly as it continues work on its sprawling, 850,000-square-foot expansion.<\/p>\n Amy’s Ice Cream, an Austin-based staple in Texas, has had a presence in the Austin airport since Day One in 1999.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport<\/p>\n \u201cUnlike 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,\u201d Kimmie Hey, public relations manager for AUS, told\u00a0MySA.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Chris Stokes, Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport<\/p>\n In fact, she says it\u2019s been part of the airport\u2019s DNA since its inception in 1999. On opening day that year, Salt Lick Barbecue BBQ, Amy\u2019s Ice Cream,<\/a> BookPeople and Austin City Limits all had a presence at the international hub. And they\u2019re still there today.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right \u2013 there\u2019s live music at the international airport stationed in the Live Music Capital of the World<\/a>. If we\u2019re 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\u2019t get truer to Austin\u2019s identity than a band jamming as you\u2019re chomping on some homemade barbecue.<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport<\/p>\n This focus on featuring the very brands that create the culture of Austin<\/a> \u2013 as weird as it is \u2013 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.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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\u00a0Gallo, deputy chief of commercial development at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport,\u00a0told MySA that airports across the country are reaching out, even touring the place, to get inspiration.<\/p>\n \u201cThe interest goes beyond concessions alone\u2014other 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,\u201d Gallo told MySA in a written statement.<\/p>\n Whether or not San Antonio is looking to its neighbor for inspiration is well is unclear, but San Antonio International Airport\u2019s Property and Development Manager Rick Neel says his new focus on bringing in local talent<\/a> is based on data. Surveyed customers, both locally and nationally, repeatedly said they want to see the city they\u2019re entering or leaving represented in the airport.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Courtesy of San Antonio International Airport<\/p>\n For years, there have been local spots to pop in SAT. Merit Coffee<\/a> has shop just on the other side of security, and La Gloria<\/a> has been serving up traditional Mexican dishes for years. But it\u2019s all lost in a sea of chains that can feel a little limiting. But that\u2019s changing quickly as a cohort of renowned San Antonio chefs \u2013 many who rose to local fame through The Pearl \u2013 like Johnny Hernanez<\/a>, Nicola Blaque (Freight) and The Jerk Shack inked deals and began their takeover of former chains.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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\u00a0Mercado.<\/p>\n Courtesy of San Antonio International Airport<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of passengers we interviewed really want that comfort food, something that\u2019s local that represents San Antonio,\u201d Neel told MySA. \u201cThat\u2019s 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\u2019s a balancing act and trying to find that right mixture of concessions, food and beverage, retail and brands which we feel represent San Antonio \u2013 our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n Already, 12 projects at the San Antonio airport have been filed, including Johnny Hernandez\u2019s Mercado, Pharm Table<\/a>, Alamo Tequila Bar, Chef Jeff Balfour\u2019s Southerleigh, Chef Jason Dady\u2019s Tre Pizzeria<\/a>, 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\u2019s focus on keeping culture present throughout the terminals, especially as a massive expansion is underway<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially for the new terminal,\u201d Neel said. \u201cOnce that opens, there will be a large local presence and, of course, a bigger pre-security concession program.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Courtesy of San Antonio International Airport<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Live music is a big part of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. 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