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Driving at San Antonio International Airport (SAT)

Airports can be complicated places, especially for drivers. But knowing the basics, and getting information in advance about your local airport, can help make sure you’re prepared for your first pickup or dropoff.

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Airport regulations

Per airport regulations, driver-partners must adhere to the terms below. Failure to do so may result in the receipt of a citation or even restriction of access to airport trips. Please note that Uber will not pay for any citations that driver-partners may incur.

  • When on airport property, the Uber driver app must be open at all times (driver-partners must not go Offline until exiting the airport area).
  • We’ve instituted a special first vehicle in is the first one out (FIFO) system at San Antonio International Airport. The FIFO system only works within the designated, geofenced area and driver-partners waiting elsewhere will not receive trip requests through the Uber driver app.

Pro tips

  • Driver cancellations: Trip cancellations can take away from the great Uber experience that both riders and driver-partners expect. Please remember that driver-partners who improperly use the app and intentionally disrupt the service, including excessively canceling rides or asking riders to cancel rides, may lose the ability to receive trip requests to and from the airport through the Uber Driver app.
  • Ground transportation and airport security staff: Airport rules are as important as traffic rules. Airports expect Driver-partners to follow the instructions of the airport staff.

Pickups at the airport

It is easy to receive trip requests from riders leaving the airport. However, these trips work a little differently than other requests.

Waiting for requests:

Uber’s technology uses a first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue. This means that, in order to receive a trip request, you need to enter the designated waiting area, located within a “FIFO zone”. You will then be placed in a virtual queue where the first driver-partner to enter will be the first to receive a trip request.

Based on the operating agreement with the airport, the waiting area is in the former public Cell Phone Lot on the corner of Airport Blvd and Northern Blvd (see map below). San Antonio International Airport regulations prohibit cars from waiting idle in the pickup/dropoff zone.

Some things to know about FIFO queues:

Proximity to the terminal within the FIFO zone does not create an advantage for driver-partners or move you closer to the top of the queue. If there are no driver-partners in the FIFO zone, trip requests will go to Uber driver-partners in the area - outside of the FIFO zone - based on proximity and other factors.

You can lose your place in line if:

  • You go offline on your Uber driver app
  • You drive outside the FIFO zone
  • You do not accept multiple the incoming trip requests in a row
  • You cancel multiple rides (if the rider cancels, you will remain at the top of the queue)

Picking up your rider

The pickup location at the airport is located on the Arrivals (lower) level outside of Terminal A (see map below). Use the outer (left) set of lanes to access the the pickup location. Ridesharing pickups are not allowed in the inner (right) set of lanes closest to the terminal.

Dropoffs at the airport

Based on the operating agreement with the airport, riders can be dropped off at their requested terminal in the departures area. If you’d like to receive a trip request afterward, you’ll need to keep the Uber driver app on to maintain your place in the FIFO queue.

Staging information