Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Destinations > America - USA > California
Reload this Page >

Sacramento International Airport / SMF - the definitive thread

Old Dec 8, 2015, 10:11 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: TWA884
Sacramento International Airport - SMF / KSMF
Sacramento County, California

N.B. There is a discussion and preview thread about SMF Terminal B here.

GOING TO SMF

DRIVING TO SMF VIA PRIVATE / RENTED VEHICLE

SMF is 10 miles northwest of Sacramento immediately north of Interstate 5 (connects San Diego to Seattle). (Note: there is an on-airport gasoline / petrol station for those renting from SMF.)

From San Francisco or Lake Tahoe, use I-80 to I-5 northbound (Woodland and Seattle). From Stockton use I-5 (or US 99 connecting to I-5 via I-80 westbound) northbound. From I-5 north the airport is 10 miles "southbound" (east) of Woodland. The airport is 0.5 miles north of the Interstate 5 on Airport Boulevard.

For GPS, use the address 6900 Airport Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95837

SMF / KSMF / Sacramento International Airport website: link

Exiting north from I-5, proceed according to the map:

GETTING TO AND FROM TERMINAL "A"

Follow signage and keep to Airport Boulevard East - a one way multi-lane road running counterclockwise will take you to an area you can stop and drop off or pick up passengers. Parking or stopping for any length of time to wait is prohibited; the Sheriffs are quite quick to get you to move on. A free cellular / mobile phone lot at the airport entry, west side, is the best place to stop to wait for arriving passengers to call drivers.


GETTING TO AND FROM TERMINAL "B"

Folow signage and keep to Airport Boulevard West - the new terminal includes a two level roadway, running clockwise. The upper level is for departures and the lower level serves arriving passengers and baggage claim. Passengers departing or arriving on Southwest will find it easiest to use the West side; those using all other airlines will find it easier using the East side.


GETTING AROUND SMF

Courtesy shuttle busses travel four routes: between terminals, to parking lots (daily and economy are separate) and to the rental car center. These are all accessible. One can walk or use a wheelchair between terminals, which are connected via the parking garage - but note that though the garage has a ceiling, it is not enclosed fully.


SECURITY at SMF / Sacramento International Airport

Currently, there are Priority lines at SMF - Terminal A; at Terminal B it is on your far left, separate from the non-priority queue entries. There are now TSA PreCheck queues at both SMF terminals (October 17 2013); the SMF website does offer indications of how long it is taking to transit security.

Terminal A has PreCheck,

Terminal B:
-Along the far left wall is the known crewmember checkpoint
-In the middle are two lines: PreCheck, which splits off to the left, and general boarding, which splits off to the right.
-Along the far right wall is the Premier/First Class/Business Select/etc line.

For international arrivals there are now Global Entry kiosks.


PARKING

Parking varies considerably, from the parking garage to "economy" lots; best thing for current information is to visit the SMF parking map and click on the appropriate garage / lot number for current rates.

"Cell phone lot" / waiting area: This area offers free parking for a short period of time for occupied vehicles whose occupants are waiting for passengers, who can call them when they arrive. This allows comfortable waiting within five minutes of any terminal, without causing congestion (and inviting a ticket from the officers patrolling the arrivals area, where waiting is not permitted).


TRANSPORTATION to/from SMF / Sacramento International Airport

TAXIS (SITOA airport authorized taxis at SMF) in Sacramento charge
  • $3 flag drop, $2.50 for each additional mile
  • Rate to wait is $25 per hour
  • One way SMF to Sacramento downtown is $33.00
  • Round-trip between SMF and downtown Sacramento is $66.00
  • Waiting is charged at $25 hourly
  • Seniors and military personnel are eligible for a 20% discount
  • Uber is $20 SMF - downtown
  • SMF - Roseville approx. $80
  • See SMF TaxiFareFinder for more fares


To / from the Arden area, 12 miles, approximately:
  • Bus Service 17.00 USD
  • Limousine 75.00 USD
  • SuperShuttle (Executive Premier Limo Inc.)
  • Rental Car 40.00 USD
  • Taxi 50.00 USD
    These prices are approximate.


From downtown, 10 miles, approximately:
  • YoloBus Bus Service $2.00 USD
  • Limousine 85.00 USD
  • SuperShuttle (Executive Premier Limo Inc.)
  • Taxi 35.00 USD
  • Uber, $20.00 USD


SHUTTLE SERVICE

SuperShuttle serves Sacramento International Airport via Executive Premier Limo Inc. The options offered are non-stop shuttle vans, not shared rides, and black car service.

BUS

Sacramento, Davis and Woodland, Yolo County

Yolo County Transportation District's Yolobus offers two routes, 42A (clockwise) and 42B (counterclockwise) that connect SMF to Sacramento, Davis and Woodland (clockwise) and the reverse. Service is approximately hourly beginning at 5:24 AM and ending at 10:22 PM at SMF. PDF schedules etc. here, and fares and passes information is here.

These also offer the option of connecting with AMTRAK's California Capitol services to the SF Bay area at the Davis or Sacramento AMTRAK stations. Check here and here for California Capitol schedules, ticket prices, etc.

Sacramento Regional Transit District serves Sacramento International Airport as of January, 2020 via SacRTs Airport Express Bus, Route 142, offering direct service between downtown Sacramento and Terminals A and B. Route 142 operates every 60 minutes, seven days a week. The current operating hours are between 5:15am (first downtown departure) and 10:33pm (last airport departure). They hope to restore the service to every 30 minutes on August 28, 2022. The fare is $2.50 for a single ride, $1.25 for discounted eligible riders and free for students in grades TK through 12.


RENTAL CARS and FUEL

All rental car companies at Sacramento International Airport are located at the central rental car terminal. Take the Rental Car Terminal Shuttle busses for acccess to all on-airport rental car agencies listed:

Rental Car Agencies
  • Advance Rent A Car ** (916) 442-1362
  • Alamo (800) 327-9633
  • Avis (916) 922-5601
  • Budget (800) 763-2999
  • Dollar (800) 800-4000
  • Enterprise (800) 736-8227
  • Hertz (800) 654-3131
  • National (800) 227-7366
  • Payless Car Rental ** (800) 729-5377


* *Off airport fleet

Gasoline Station

There is an ARCO station near the entrance to the airport, #22 on the map, to top up your rental vehicle.


AIRPORT LOUNGES AT SMF

Each terminal has an Escape Lounge, accessible by membership, $43.10 per person fee or American Express Platinum Card members (who may guest in up to two others)


LODGING NEAR SMF

The Host Airport Hotel at Sacramento International Airport (across from the old Terminal B complex) closed July 31, 2008, to make way for the new Terminal B construction. A new 135 room Hyatt Place was to be built adjacent to the parking garage, but that may not happen. In the meantime:

Several hotels do provide complimentary shuttle services to / from SMF airport.

Hotels providing shuttle services include
  • Fairfield Inn & Suites 10 miles
  • Four Points by Sheraton 8 miles
  • Hampton Inn 7 miles (N. Natomas)
  • Hampton Inn - Woodland 10 miles
  • Holiday Inn Express 7 miles (N. Natomas)
  • Hilton Garden Inn S. Natomas 11 miles (my go-to hotel, free overnight and ~up to 10 days parking, free hourly airport shuttle)
  • Homewood Suites by Hilton - 7 miles (N. Natomas)
  • La Quinta Inn 11 miles
  • Quality Inn Natomas 12 miles
  • Ramada Limited 11 miles
  • Vagabond Executive 12 miles



OTHER AIRPORT SERVICES

Lost and Found"The Sacramento County Sheriffs Department, Airport Division manages the lost and found program at Sacramento International Airport. Please visit the Lost & Found Web page to report your lost item. Please call (916) 874.0701 and leave a detailed message concerning your lost object. The Sheriffs frequently listen to these messages and will return your call if they have the object. If the item has been lost on board an aircraft, please contact your airline directly."

Paging "Paging is managed by the Sacramento International Airport Communications Center. Please call (916) 929.5411 and press the appropriate prompt key to reach the operator."

WiFi / Wireless Internet - FlySacramento is the net name you should use. You will be required to watch a brief advert for free WiFi."Sacramento International Airport has free wireless Internet (WiFi) service throughout the indoor, public areas of the airport. SMFs Wi-Fi network has 4 T1 connection, which provides users with speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps. The Wi-Fi 802.11b/g technology allows for speeds up to 54 Mbps, but throughput is governed by the speed at which the device is connected."

Contact Information:

Sacramento International Airport
6900 Airport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95837
(916) 929.5411
air-market <at> saccounty.net

Pilot Information link

Airport FAQ link

Typical Nonstop Destinations from SMF will change) (Use SMF Flight Search for more information)Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Boise, ID
Burbank, CA
Charlotte, NC
Chicago (Midway), IL
Chicago (OHare), IL
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Guadalajara, Mexico
Honolulu, HI
Houston (Intercontinental), TX
Las Vegas, NV
Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Los Cabos, Mexico (2017)
Maui (Kahului), HI
Mexico City, Mexico
Minneapolis, MN
New York (JFK), NY
Ontario, CA
Orange County, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Portland, OR
Salt Lake City, UT
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Washington, D.C.

Please use SMF Flight Search to find nonstop and direct flights to your destination or return.


Print Wikipost

Sacramento International Airport / SMF - the definitive thread

Old Apr 4, 2019, 3:00 pm
  #166  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,566
Originally Posted by WhiskeyCavalier

My my plan is to get to SMF around 10 or 11 pm and chill. My flight is around 5 am.

Anyone slept at SMF? Will it be open? Will I not be allowed through security until the next morning or can I get through security?
You will likely not be allowed airside the night before with a boarding pass for 5am the next day. There are redeye departures out of terminal A that leave between 12-1am to DFW/IAH/MSP, but I think they shut it down airside after that and kick people out after those flights leave. The last departure out of terminal B is around 12:30am to GDL.

You can sleep outside security. There are automated announcements that go on all night every 10' about security, keeping your bags in your control, etc. Nothing is open overnight with respect to stores/restaurants/etc. People do not commonly stay in the landside area of the airport overnight so security may ask you once or twice what you are doing. But it's not that the airport completely closes, access is permissible 24 hours.

Originally Posted by WhiskeyCavalier
No issues checking bags 6 hours in advance right? I’m a little worried they will be unattended.
YMMV. If you are flying on WN or AS for instance, you'll likely find the ticket counters unattended after about 9:30pm. DL/UA/AA/B6 have late evening departures so ticket counters will be staffed until roughly 11:30pm. Some agents may refuse to take your bags, but if they take them they'll be just fine/safe overnight.

If I were you, I would find another plan, but that's just me.
abaheti likes this.

Last edited by TWA884; Apr 4, 2019 at 6:31 pm Reason: Formatting for readability
PV_Premier is offline  
Old Jul 10, 2019, 12:12 pm
  #167  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
A good site for sleeping in airports as well as lounges, airport hotels is sleepinginairports.net. Link to SMF airport guide.

SMF now has Escape Lounges in both Terminals A and B. Public access $43.10, or American Express Platinum Card holders (cardholders may invite up to two guests).

Airline clubs at SMF?
JDiver is offline  
Old Mar 5, 2020, 4:40 pm
  #168  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Sacramento, CA, US
Posts: 2,229
New Sacramento RT Route 142 Begins Frequent Airport Service

As of January, 2020, Terminals A and B are now served by daily public transit service operating every 20 to 30 minutes to downtown Sacramento, via a combination of the previously-existing Yolobus Route 42 and the new Regional Transit Route 142. Operating hours are between 345am and 1135pm. In downtown Sacramento, Route 142 loops around using J St., 15th St, and L St. Standard fares apply.
abaheti likes this.
Reindeerflame is offline  
Old May 1, 2022, 1:05 pm
  #169  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: honolulu
Posts: 46
trying to connect HA to Southwest TB

I found a good fare from HNL to LAS via SMF but the connecting time is 40 mins.
Arriving on HA connect to SW.
Do you think I can make it? Terminal map seems like it possible......
Thanks for any input
yamauchig is offline  
Old May 1, 2022, 10:31 pm
  #170  
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Sacramento CA area
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AS MVP Gold 100K, Hilton Diamond(Amex), Marriott Platinum
Posts: 207
Originally Posted by yamauchig
I found a good fare from HNL to LAS via SMF but the connecting time is 40 mins.
Arriving on HA connect to SW.
Do you think I can make it? Terminal map seems like it possible......
Thanks for any input
Yes. The terminal is not that long. I’ve walked it in 5 mins or so. I believe the HA gate is down by the AS gates and the WN gates are the other end but still you should have no problem if your flight is on time.
macmedic is offline  
Old May 2, 2022, 6:45 am
  #171  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: honolulu
Posts: 46
Originally Posted by macmedic
Yes. The terminal is not that long. Ive walked it in 5 mins or so. I believe the HA gate is down by the AS gates and the WN gates are the other end but still you should have no problem if your flight is on time.
Thanks for the info, I will give it a try!
yamauchig is offline  
Old May 2, 2022, 9:00 am
  #172  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: LAX/SMF/PDX/HNL
Programs: Hilton-lifetime diamond, Southwest A+, companion pass
Posts: 1,730
Hawaiian uses gates 4-11 in the B terminal of SMF. In my experience, they frequently use B4 or B6, which are the most distant from the Southwest gates.

Southwest uses gates B12 - B23, which can be as much as a 5 minute brisk walk.
Try to select a seat near the front of the Hawaiian flight so that you minimize the delay in exiting the aircraft.
Do not check luggage. Hawaiian will not check your luggage onto Southwest and you will have no time to retrieve and re-check your luggage.
Southwest general boarding usually begins about 20 -25 minutes before the scheduled departure time. At 10 minutes before departure time you will be paged and your seat may be given away to standby passengers.
If you DO miss your Southwest flight, you will find their gate agents very helpful in getting you on the standby list on a later flight. Southwest has 8 non-stop flights from SMF-LAS every weekday, so the odds are good that you will get to Vegas in time to lose your money.

Last edited by dlaue; May 2, 2022 at 9:32 am
dlaue is offline  
Old May 2, 2022, 9:53 am
  #173  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,347
Originally Posted by yamauchig
I found a good fare from HNL to LAS via SMF but the connecting time is 40 mins.
Arriving on HA connect to SW.
Do you think I can make it? Terminal map seems like it possible......
Thanks for any input
Is this separate tickets? I didn't think there was a way to book Southwest (commonly referred to by their code WN) and any other airline together. If not, any misconnect will be treated by Southwest as a no-show. For example, if your HA flight is in the air just 30 minutes longer and you can't call WN to cancel by 10 minutes before that flight, you may have to just forfeit that ticket and buy a new one (which will be more expensive then). Even if on-time, by the time you get to the gate and off the plane (could be 10 minutes) and walk to the Southwest gate (5 minutes) they will be well into boarding regardless of what your position is, and within 15 minutes of the cutoff.

I wouldn't take the risk, but if you are okay taking the next (or later flight) and either have travel insurance that would cover this sort of replacement ticket if needed, or the savings is enough to self-insure and accept the gamble of a much higher cost if it doesn't work out (good prep for Vegas!), it could work.
jmastron is offline  
Old May 2, 2022, 12:33 pm
  #174  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: honolulu
Posts: 46
Originally Posted by dlaue
Hawaiian uses gates 4-11 in the B terminal of SMF. In my experience, they frequently use B4 or B6, which are the most distant from the Southwest gates.

Southwest uses gates B12 - B23, which can be as much as a 5 minute brisk walk.
Try to select a seat near the front of the Hawaiian flight so that you minimize the delay in exiting the aircraft.
Do not check luggage. Hawaiian will not check your luggage onto Southwest and you will have no time to retrieve and re-check your luggage.
Southwest general boarding usually begins about 20 -25 minutes before the scheduled departure time. At 10 minutes before departure time you will be paged and your seat may be given away to standby passengers.
If you DO miss your Southwest flight, you will find their gate agents very helpful in getting you on the standby list on a later flight. Southwest has 8 non-stop flights from SMF-LAS every weekday, so the odds are good that you will get to Vegas in time to lose your money.
Thanks for this information, I think I will give it a try.
yamauchig is offline  
Old May 2, 2022, 12:38 pm
  #175  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: honolulu
Posts: 46
Originally Posted by jmastron
Is this separate tickets? I didn't think there was a way to book Southwest (commonly referred to by their code WN) and any other airline together. If not, any misconnect will be treated by Southwest as a no-show. For example, if your HA flight is in the air just 30 minutes longer and you can't call WN to cancel by 10 minutes before that flight, you may have to just forfeit that ticket and buy a new one (which will be more expensive then). Even if on-time, by the time you get to the gate and off the plane (could be 10 minutes) and walk to the Southwest gate (5 minutes) they will be well into boarding regardless of what your position is, and within 15 minutes of the cutoff.

I wouldn't take the risk, but if you are okay taking the next (or later flight) and either have travel insurance that would cover this sort of replacement ticket if needed, or the savings is enough to self-insure and accept the gamble of a much higher cost if it doesn't work out (good prep for Vegas!), it could work.
Hmmm. you bring up some very good points, might not be worth losing my WN flight just to save a few bucks using HA to SMF. And the WN flight is the last flight out that evening so i would need to overnight if I missed it.....I have to rethink this. Thanks everyone for all this good information!! Might save a few bucks buying the two tickets but end up paying a lot more if I miss the flight!
yamauchig is offline  
Old May 4, 2022, 8:10 am
  #176  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: LAX/SMF/PDX/HNL
Programs: Hilton-lifetime diamond, Southwest A+, companion pass
Posts: 1,730
Originally Posted by yamauchig
Hmmm. you bring up some very good points, might not be worth losing my WN flight just to save a few bucks using HA to SMF. And the WN flight is the last flight out that evening so i would need to overnight if I missed it.....I have to rethink this. Thanks everyone for all this good information!! Might save a few bucks buying the two tickets but end up paying a lot more if I miss the flight!
Keep in mind that there are no airport hotels close to the Sacramento airport. In fact, there is nothing close to the airport other than an overpriced Arco gas station with pumps which frequently fail to print receipts. And, there are no 24 hour car rentals at SMF. All rental agencies close at midnight. And there will be no food service at the airport at that late hour.
dlaue is offline  
Old May 15, 2022, 11:56 am
  #177  
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Posts: 9,955
It looks like this thread's wiki needs some updating. It says that Sacramento Regional Transit doesn't serve the airport, but it does (as post 168 notes). Also, it says Super Shuttle serves the airport, but it no longer does.

My question is about the Route 142 bus. Is it a typical city transit bus, or does it have space for luggage storage? Perhaps overhead? Like what Washington DC has on the bus that connects Greenbelt MD to BWI?

What I am trying to decide is whether to take the bus or a cab/Uber on a trip to Sacramento that I have at the end of this month.

Last edited by amanuensis; May 15, 2022 at 12:54 pm
amanuensis is offline  
Old May 15, 2022, 4:13 pm
  #178  
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,474
Originally Posted by amanuensis
It looks like this thread's wiki needs some updating. It says that Sacramento Regional Transit doesn't serve the airport, but it does (as post 168 notes). Also, it says Super Shuttle serves the airport, but it no longer does.
The wiki post is community maintained. Any member who has been on FlyerTalk for 90 days and has made 90 posts may edit the wiki post.

That being said, SuperShuttle serves Sacramento International Airport via Executive Premier Limo Inc. The options offered are non-stop shuttles, not shared rides, and black car service.

I will go ahead and edit the wiki post to reflect those changes.

Originally Posted by amanuensis
My question is about the Route 142 bus. Is it a typical city transit bus, or does it have space for luggage storage? Perhaps overhead? Like what Washington DC has on the bus that connects Greenbelt MD to BWI?

According to the Sacramento Regional Transit District Airport Express Bus web page: "SacRT’s Route 142 Airport Express bus... [offers] multiple downtown bus stops with easy access from light rail, extra space for luggage and free Wi-Fi onboard."

Last edited by TWA884; May 15, 2022 at 4:29 pm Reason: Add Route 142 bus info
TWA884 is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 8:47 pm
  #179  
 
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 347
Help finding early morning taxi from Sacramento

Flying out of Sacramento tomorrow morning and cant find an Uber or taxi for 7am pick up. Any advice please
Gallus1 is offline  
Old May 24, 2022, 8:55 pm
  #180  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,360
Originally Posted by Gallus1
Flying out of Sacramento tomorrow morning and cant find an Uber or taxi for 7am pick up. Any advice please
How far from the airport are you? Can you get to the airport tonight and rent a car?

You might want to ask a Moderator to move this thread either to the AA forum, or the California forum; BA does not fly out of SMF on its own metal.
guv1976 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.