Sacramento International Airport / SMF - the definitive thread
 

Moved to wiki post for member ease for updating information

SMF Terminal "A"
 

SMF TERMINAL A

N.B. As of October 6, 2011, airlines have relocated at SMF - most importantly, Southwest is no longer at Terminal A!


As of February, 2013, airline assignments seem to be as follows:

TERMINAL A AIRLINE ASSIGNMENTS:

Delta / SkyWest (sharing A1-A5 area)

American Airlines (as of 24 February 2015 - A1-A5?)

JetBlue (A13; moved from Terminal B 15 Oct 2013)

United (A11 - A16)

American Airlines (including legacy US Airways (sharing A1-A5 area)

Gates information will be updated as we get more specific information on the low A gates


Entry to the terminal is at ground level, which leads to the ticket counters. Immediately to the north of the counters are elevators / lifts and escalators, leading to the second level and the TSA security screening facility. The only shops and dining facilities on the second level are airside, beyond security. The security area is large, but not planned for at terminal construction, so it can take some time to process at busy times. As of Dec 2011 there is an Elite frequent flyer queue at Security.

Arriving passengers take elevators or escalators downstairs and immeidately north are the baggage carousels. Upon exiting from the terminal are the areas for intraterminal shuttle busses, YoloBus to Sacramento, Woodland and Davis, taxis and the SuperShuttle shared van transport.

SMF (new) Terminal B
 

SMF (new) TERMINAL B
(The old Terminal B is no longer in use and is scheduled for demolition.)

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

The new Central Terminal B and its (remote) Concourse opened 5:00 AM October 6, 2011. Here's a preview of what to expect and information. (Note: the terminal is architecturally accessible, but please read for tips and tricks for those with mobility challenges.)


TERMINAL B ASSIGMENTS

Southwest (the West side, Gates B12 - B23)

Aeroméxico (B8)

Alaska (low B gates)

American (AA) MOVED TO TERM. A 24 Feb 2015!

Frontier (B6)

Hawaiian (B4)

Horizon (B5)

Jet Blue Moved to Terminal A 15 Oct 2013

Volaris

B9 and B11 reserved for future use

The terminal itself is served by a two-story clockwise roadway horseshoeing around the check-in facility. There are dropoff / pickup areas for disabled passengers on each side (West, for Southwest, and East, for everyone else) and both levels. Southwest and American (only) have curbside baggage checking. Southwest has wheelchairs immediately inside the passenger entry doors to the terminal.


See map in post above for Terminals A and B.

The new three story Terminal B is divided in two distinct and separated areas - "Central Terminal" is the checkin and arrivals area, the "Concourse" is the gates area. The terminal is much more open and spacious (think MAD T-4S or LHR T-5). The central check-in building and
'Gates Concourse" are connected with Bombardier "Automated People Mover" (APM) vehicles in two bridge lanes above the roadway. The APM cars can be ganged so there can be two cars per train. The APM links central check-in and baggage facilities with the actual concourse.

The Central Terminal B is entirely a landside facility, with three floors. All levels are connected by two glass-enclosed and very easy to find elevators (lifts), and different, somewhat confusingly placed banks of escalators. (Be aware of which escalators you use - one set connects levels 2 and 3, others levels 1 and 3 and 1 and 2,) and lifts / elevators to the third or departures floor (APM Level). Elevators / lifts are more direct and less confusing, well signed. There are both the usual courtesy phones placed strategically for assistance and TDD/TDY terminals with them.

The ground / or first floor is the Baggage Claim Level (arrivals) with baggage carousels 1, 2, 5 and 6. (Large vacant areas can accommodate carousels 3 and 4 as dictated by passenger load growth). Flanking the carousels are West and East pickup, shuttle and taxi areas. There is also a news, magazine, sundries and souvenirs shop operated by the Sacramento Bee. There is also at least one ATM / cash machine and vending center with snacks and water, etc.

The second floor - Ticketing Level - contains the check-in desks and islands of self-service kiosks. Ticketing has West and East drop areas for cars, taxis, shuttles, interterminal shuttle busses, parking and rental lot shuttles. (N.B. The West side is mainly Southwest's, as it is in the gates Concourse.)

The third level is the departures/APM level,with access to the APM (Automated People Mover) to the gates Concourse. There are some shops, previously mentioned elevators / lifts and escalators to other levels, and a few self-serve kiosks for boarding passes. (I hope these will be operational - no luggage and BP or can arrive at Parking Level 5, use the pedestrian bridge, use the kiosk, take a right turn to the APM to the Concourse.)

N.B. Those accompanying or awaiting passengers and without passes to airside should not use the APM.) The APM is fast and does some maneuvering that can be surprising to some - be sure to hold on, and if in a wheelchair, to position yourself securely. The APM takes one to the Terminal B Concourse facility. Here you enter a large, spacious, purpose-built TSA screening facility with ten lanes leading to five body scanners. These are not necessarily all active at once, and there is now a multi-airline Priority Access / Elite line to your left as you enter security area for airlines' frequent fliers and First passengers.

Now that you are airside, this spacious, well-lit facility offers a variety of both chain and local restaurants, stores (including a Vino Volo store for California wines once you have passed airside). When you arrive and head for the APM, you must pass through a set of double doors that could prove challenging to those with wheelchairs.

Seating is "snowflake" style in most instances, with some inline seat gangs, with comfortable seats. If you have been in DFW Terminal D, you have seen the seats before. The SMF seats have two powered USB and two 110 VAC US outlets for charging between each seat pair in the "snowflake" style.

Free WiFi is also provided throughout, though it can be slow-paced and require watching a video or taking a survey for fee access, and there are some Internet stations provided. The most innovative is one in the center that looks like a giant French horn - as a passenger uses the Internet terminal behind it, the sounds are translated into various musical and choral sounds.


N.B. Thanks to the Sacramento County Airport System, Business Journal, Sacramento Bee (Tony Bizjak in particular for tips for people with disabilities).

SMF Terminal A services, shopping and dining
 

Terminal A - Landside (Ground Level)


FOOD (GateGuru app for your smartphone is a great tool)

Terminal A Concourse - Airside (Second Level)

FOOD

Central Court and Corridor Area

N. B. The food offerings are currently undergoing significant change; the listing here in no longer accurate. See below. From http://www.saccounty.net/news/latest...pen-Aug-1.aspx:


SHOPPING

Central Court and Corridor Area

For hours and locations, check here.

SMF new Terminal B services, shopping and dining
 

Central Terminal B - Landside

FOOD (GateGuru app for your smartphone is a great tool)
SHOPPING

Terminal B Concourse - Airside

FOOD

Central area
West (Southwest) gates
East (AA, AS, etc. non-WN) side
SHOPPING

Massage Bar (one each wing)

West (Southwest) gates
Central Area
For hours and locations, check here.

SMF... art!
 

There has been a requirement for art to be part of what goes into the airport, so here is some of it:

Some SMF Art
 

<reserved>

SMF Description
 

JDiver - THANK YOU for this marvelously-informative post! I fly out of SMF pretty much exclusively, but less recently than once was the case. So I have not been to the airport since new Terminal B opened.

Now I need to pick up friends returning from a medical trip to Rochester MN, and wanted to get a little familiar with the layout before going. The official website is only modestly informative (6 out of 10) -- yours was a 9 or 10 out of 10.

Between your descriptions, and the Google overhead, it is quite clear what we will want to do for parking, access to the Terminal, and where to await our friends.

Again, thanks for a very helpful post!

In February we'll be arring on Continental and departing, a few days later, on Southwest. Hoping for no fog delays! We'll arrive a Terminal A, which used to house Southwest? Has it been upgraded at all as part of the airport work? It looks like a small number of planes at Terminal B will leave from the main terminal building but most will depart from the outer concourse, reachable by rail (shades of Dulles Airport IAD). I remember when I first moved to Sac in 1976 (left in 83), the airport looked pretty modern, albeit spartan. That was long enough ago that I usually flew PSA to visit my folks in L.A.

Ah, yes, PSA! I remember paying $14.95 to LAX and $19.95 to SAN... probably from SAC and not SMF! :cool:

Terminal A (where you will arrive on CO) has not had any major renewal since being built as a new terminal, but is fairly comfortable and has some very decent vendors.

Terminal B (where you will depart on WN via Gates 12 - 23) has NO flights departing the Central Terminal; all flights arriving / departing B are gated at the Concourse / remote terminal, connected to the Central Terminal by the Bombadier "APM".

Fog? Well... all I can do is wish you (and me) good luck on that point.

LOVE IT!
 

What a great place to be waiting for a flight! Free WiFi, seat clusters with lots of powerports, decent restaurants with fair pricing.
Another airport that puts LAX to shame.
BRAVO SMF ^

Security in the new Terminal B is supposed to be quick and easy - in fact, it can be quite lengthy, given WN and a number of others (see above), and though there are umpteen lanes and new machines (yes, five millimeter wave scanners, and WTMDs plus body searches for those who opt out) but TSA sometimes only operates two lanes. January 1 2012 was crowded and it took 15 - 20 minutes or longer to clear security. :td:

Though SMF stated last year there would be some kind of elite security queue, and there was none as yet in B at this writing, the updated information is that Terminal B has a priority security lane at the far left as you enter the TSA security area.

As well, the end of 2011, Dec 30 2011, saw the flaws in the "Automated People Mover" concept when a computer breakdown isolated the gates from the central terminal 7:57 - 10:22 AM; flyers were required to use the APM elevated concrete guideway (about a six minute walk) to access flights or arrivals. :td: (There were three documented breakdowns the first month of operation.)

The new Terminal B does draw lots of kudos for its free WiFi, USB and power at concourse seats, services and restaurants. ^

As of March 31 2012, parking rates at SMF increased ~11%; new rates are posted in the main post under Parking.

You still have to love free WiFi and in Terminal B plenty of USB / AC charging ports.

Those awaiting other passengers are advised to use the well marked Cell / Mobile Phone Lot at the southwest end of the airport - it's free. Calculate five minutes from the time of the call to the pickup at the terminal.

Further updates: Sacramento County has offered Virgin American incentives of up to $400,000 to begin service SMF-LAX (up to $250,000 in cash, up to $150,000 in "other incentives).

SMF is also entering negotiations that would lead to opening up to two hotels: "Sonnenblick... the sole company to respond to the airport's request for proposals, proposes building 200-room and 132-room hotels at the airport by the end of 2014, both a few steps from terminals A and B."

Standard and Poor still rates SMF's overall outlook as stable, in spite of the $950 million debt; SMF has been attempting to become more efficient in its operations, but is obviously hoping to enhance revenue by attracting more flights (and raising rates for other services, such as parking).

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/11/440...#storylink=cpy

Term A has had an elite line since Dec. ^