History
Due to the vast housing growth around Sacramento Executive Airport, the City of Sacramento Planning Department and the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors commissioned a study to move large commercial air operations to a less populated area.
Sacramento International Airport opened October 21, 1967, as Sacramento Metropolitan Airport. Prior to this date, all commercial airline flights through the Sacramento region were handled at the current site of Sacramento Executive Airport, then known as Sacramento Municipal Airport.
In 1957, the proposed construction of Sacramento Metropolitan Airport and purchase of nearly 6,000 acres north of downtown Sacramento was considered extravagant, risky, poorly located and based on unrealistic passenger expectations. The skeptics were wrong. The original estimate of 750,000 annual passengers soon proved to be a conservative one as the airport surpassed one million passengers during the first year of operation. Upon opening in 1967, Sacramento Metropolitan Airport was the first airport west of the Mississippi that had been built completely from the ground up for public use.
The airport was initially served by five airlines: Pacific Air Lines, PSA Airlines, United Airlines, Western, and West Coast.
The 1980s ushered in a new era of construction and growth. During this time, development efforts included: the in-flight catering facility (1980), an FAA Flight Inspection Field Office (1985), a second air cargo facility (1985), and the east runway (1987). On June 24, 1998, the east runway’s opening was celebrated by the landing of a Concorde. America West, Continental, Morris Air and American Eagle Airlines joined the original carriers at Sacramento Metropolitan Airport during this time.
In the 1990s, the consolidated rental car facility and Terminal A opened (1998), which was designed by Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects. Meanwhile, passenger traffic continued to grow. With the opening of a new terminal building, it was renamed Sacramento International Airport, though it did not receive its first international flights until 2002 when Mexicana initiated nonstop service to Guadalajara. The airport was officially designated a port of entry on October 5, 2006.
The consolidated rental car terminal, the first of its kind in the nation, gave all rental car customers a single point of access that could be reached via a single shuttle service. This innovation streamlined bus operations to reduce congestion at the terminal curbs and improve air quality while also enhancing overall customer service.
Over the years, advances in technology changed how the airport distributed information to its customers. The Sacramento County Airport System launched its first Web site in April 1997.
During this time, airline service also changed. Southwest (1991), Alaska (1993), Horizon (1993), and TWA (1994) were added to the list of carriers serving Sacramento. Southwest and Alaska Airlines experienced rapid growth, offsetting the departure or cessation of operations of airlines such as American Eagle, Continental, and USAir.
The new millennium ushered in even more changes, none more significant than those following September 11, 2001. Airport security procedures were forever changed by the tragic events of that day. The newly formed Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration were created and sweeping changes were implemented to improve aviation security.
Despite the immediate effects on air travel, September 11 did not deter growth at Sacramento International Airport. Four new airlines were soon added to Sacramento International: Continental returned (2000) and Frontier (2002), Mexicana (2002), Hawaiian (2002), and Aloha Airlines (2003) initiated service. Mexicana’s arrival initiated international nonstop service and necessitated completion of the International Arrivals Building for the federal inspection services prior to the first international arrival at Sacramento International Airport.
The Terminal A Parking Garage opened September 23, 2004 to rave reviews. The six-story structure enabled passengers to enjoy covered parking, a short walk to the terminal and public art (“Flying Gardens” by Dennis Oppenheim and “Flying Carpet” by Seyed Alavi).
In 2006, Sacramento International Airport became one of the first airports in the nation to offer free wireless Internet service (WiFi) to its customers.
As the nation’s economy was taking a hard hit in 2008, commercial aviation was challenged by reduced passenger numbers and increasing fuel and other operations costs. Express Jet ceased independent operations in 2008, Aloha ceased operations in 2008, and Mexicana discontinued operations, but prior to the economic downturn, new services began and airliners merged. America West, Northwest and US Airways merged and United and Continental initiated their merger by the end of 2011. Despite these challenges, Alaska satisfied demand by adding nonstop service to Guadalajara, Mexico and Hawaii (Maui) while Aeromexico’s (2011) debut reestablished foreign-flag service with daily nonstop service to Guadalajara, Mexico. On April 2011, American Eagle started service to Los Angeles.
Long dominated by Southwest and United (United Express), the intra-California market was joined in 2011 by American (American Eagle) and Delta (Delta Connection) which fly from Los Angeles International Airport.
Air Canada flew to this airport in 2007-8 to Vancouver, but terminated it in 2008 due to the economic downturn.
The airport used to be a focus city for ExpressJet Airlines.
Volaris will start service to Guadalajara on November 15, 2012.
Once California Pacific Airlines begins flying between 2012-2013, they plan to fly from Sacramento to Carlsbad.
Sacramento County has tried to entice Virgin America into adding a Los Angeles route by giving them 400,000 dollars to operate out of terminal A or 150,000 dollars to operate in terminal B, but their efforts have been unsuccessful so far because other airports are trying to entice the airliner too. American Eagle operated by Skywest Airlines will begin service to Los Angeles on November 14, 2012. On the same day, the regular American Eagle will discontinue service to Los Angeles. On January 6, 2013, Frontier Airlines will end service to Denver. In 2011, the airport carried an estimated 9 million passengers and 4,370,895 take-offs and landings. The airport also averages 323 flights a day.
Read more about this topic: Sacramento International Airport
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