Sacramento International Airport (SMF) - the fourth busiest airport in California

Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is a rising mid-sized U.S. airport in Northern California.

The airport is located about 10 miles (~16 km) northwest of downtown Sacramento, serving California’s capital region.

In 2024, SMF handled over 13 million passengers, a solid 5% increase over the previous year. It offers around 200 daily flights to more than 50 destinations via 11 airlines. Sacramento Airport is the fourth busiest airport in California and among the 40 busiest in the USA.

Major Airlines - Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is the airline with the most flights at Sacramento Airport. Capturing over 55% of the market share at the airport, Southwest flies to over 30 nonstop destinations in the USA and Mexico.

More than half of all passengers at SMF fly with Southwest Airlines.

The next largest carriers at SMF are unsurprisingly United, American, and Delta, the Big 3 of American commercial aviation. They offer direct flights to their respective hubs across the US, allowing onward connections to the world at large. Many of the regional flights are operated by their subsidiaries, namely United Express, American Eagle, and Delta Connection.

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines also operate several routes to and from Sacramento.

Low-cost airlines that provide services at SMF include Frontier, JetBlue, and Spirit. The Mexican budget airline Volaris also links Sacramento with 4 cities in Mexico.

The other foreign airlines that serve SMF are Aeroméxico (flies to Guadalajara) and Air Canada (flies to Toronto seasonally and to Vancouver via Air Canada Express).

See all airlines at SMF.

Terminal Layout and Gates of SMF

Sacramento Airport has two active terminals:

Terminal A: Houses Air Canada, American, United, and Delta. Terminal A has 17 gates from A1 through to A17.
Terminal B: The larger but older terminal in terms of gates, with 19 gates from B4 to B23. Airlines in Terminal B include Southwest, Spirit, Alaska, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Volaris, Aeromexico, and others. All international flights are handled at Terminal B.

The two terminals are not connected airside as they are separate buildings. To move between them, you must exit the secure area, walk via the Skybridge, then go through the Security checkpoint in the other terminal.

In Terminal A, the sky bridge starts at level 2; in Terminal B, it starts at level 3. Walking between the two terminals takes roughly 7 minutes.

There are 2security checkpoints, one in each Terminal A and Terminal B. Both open at 4 AM.

Connecting Flights and Transit at Sacramento

Sacramento Airport is not a hub for any major airline, thus transfers at it are mostly self-organized. This means you will bear the full responsibility for making your connection, and any delays may result in you missing your second flight. If both your flights are with the same airline, booked under the same PNR, then the airline will book you on the next available flight if you miss the connection.

Because there are only two terminals and both are relatively compact, connecting flights are reasonable to make, especially if airlines are in the same terminal. A minimum connecting time of 90 minutes is smart between domestic flights. Allow 2 hours if one of the flights is international.

For connections between Terminal A and B, allow extra time for walking via the skybridge or garage path.

Free Wi-Fi at SMF

Free WiFi is available throughout both terminals (airside and landside), the concourse, the rental car facility, the Sacramento Jet Center, and the Free Waiting area, but not in the garage or any of the parking lots.

To connect, select “FlySacramento” from the list of available networks and follow the instructions to accept the terms and conditions. The public Wi-Fi’s speed is limited to 5 Mbps.

The airport’s premium lounges offer faster connections.

Lounges at Sacramento Airport

There are 2 lounges at SMF:

Escape Lounge in Terminal A, near Gate A10. It is open from 4:30 AM to 10:00 PM.
Escape Lounge in Terminal B, on the left of the Security Checkpoint. It is open from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Both lounges provide complimentary seasonal food, snacks, drinks, comfortable seating, dedicated WiFi, a TV, workspaces, and other comforts. Both are open to all travelers regardless of airline - a day pass costs $45 at the door or $40 if booked online at least 24 hours in advance.

Certain American Express credit card holders can enter for free.

Dining Options at Sacramento Airport

With 22 outlets at Sacramento Airport, such as restaurants, fast food, cafes, and a few bars, SMF is unlikely to win any awards for the variety of dining available, but it allows you to choose your favourite food anyway.

The food and drink places are equally split between the two terminals.

Some of the best places in Terminal A are:

Squeeze Burger: A Sacramento favorite chain for burgers. Located airside on the Upper Level.
Taylors - Selections by Vino Volo: Another local chain serving coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and snacks. Find it on the Upper Level, past Security.

Also present in Terminal A are Starbucks, two kiosks of Illy Coffee (both on the Lower Level), and two outlets of Dippin’ Dots ice cream.

In Terminal B, there is:

Famous Famiglia: Offers pizza by the slice and other Italian delights. Located airside, post-security.
Burgers and Brew: A locally-owned chain serving burgers and a variety of beers. Also airside.
Cafeteria 15L: Offers classic American cuisine. Airside.
Mango Taco: Mexican cuisine and beers. Airside.
West Coast Sourdough: Offers fresh bread, sandwiches, bread bowls, salads, and freshly baked cookies. After Security.

Also in Terminal B, you can find Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters, two outlets of Dippin’ Dots (landside and airside), several Illy Coffee Kiosks, and a Starbucks.

Transport to and from the airport

Ground access by car is via Airport Boulevard directly from Interstate 5 at Exit 528.

Public transit comes in the form of several bus lines:

Route 142 of the SacRT (Sacramento Regional Transit District): An express service connecting SMF with downtown Sacramento every 20-30 minutes every day.
Route 42A of Yolobus serves Sacramento, Woodland, and Davis.
Route 42B of Yolobus goes directly to downtown Sacramento from the airport and vice versa.

Buses depart from the center island outside Terminal A and from Zone 3 of the Ground Transportation Area of Terminal B.

The regular fare is $2.00, whereas express buses cost $3.25.

A future light rail link is currently in the planning phase.

Taxis can be hailed at Zone 7 of the ground transportation area and from Zone 3 of the west commercial curb at Terminal B. A trip between SMF and downtown Sacramento is around $30-40.

Similarly, ride-sharing like Uber, Lyft, and Wingz provide services at the airport with designated pick-up locations.

To organize a private transfer from Sacramento Airport, click here.

Official parking at SMF

SMF offers both daily and economy parking lots with a total of over 5,500 parking spaces.

Daily and short-term parking is served by the following lots and garages:

Parking Garage - Terminals A & B: Covered parking for both terminals with direct access to Terminal A on the 3rd floor and to Terminal B on the 5th floor. The parking fare is $2 per 30 minutes with a daily maximum of $20.
Daily Lots - Terminals A & B: Located just before the entrance to the garage on Airport Boulevard, connected to the terminals via a shuttle every 15-20 minutes. Parking here costs $2 per 30 minutes, up to $13 per day.

Economy and long-term parking is available at one of the 3 parking lots as follows:

East Economy Parking Lot
West Economy Parking Lot
South Economy Parking Lot

All three lots are served by the complimentary airport shuttle, though note that it may take up to 1 hour from the time you park to the time you reach the terminal. There is no walking path.

The parking fare at all three is the same: $2 per 30 minutes or $11 per day. The economy lots are ticketed - you will receive a ticket when you enter and return it, and pay when you exit.

Cash is not accepted at any of the parking lots or garages of Sacramento Airport. If you want to pay with cash, you need to pay at designated pay-on-foot self-service kiosks in the parking garage and outside Door 1 at Terminal B before returning to your car.

Last but not least, if you’re just picking up arriving passengers, you may use the Cell Phone Lot located near the Interstate 5 entrance/exit. Parking there is free of charge as long as you remain inside your vehicle.