FAQs

FAQs

How much will Sacramento International Airport's Central Terminal B project cost?

$1.27 Billion

How large is Central Terminal B?

Central Terminal B will offer 19 gates at opening, 6 more than the existing Terminal B. Central Terminal B is three times the size of the existing Terminal B: 675,000 square feet between the landside and airside facilities.

Central Terminal B is designed to accommodate how many passengers?

The new Central Terminal B is designed to accommodate an estimated 10 million passengers annually. When the capacity of Central Terminal B combined with Terminal A, Sacramento International Airport will be capable of accommodating approximately 16 million passengers annually.

Will Central Terminal B include public art?

Central Terminal B includes a robust art program with an $8 million dollar budget. International and local artists are encouraged to participate in the program and be included in the selection process. The program will incorporate integrated art and signature pieces into the terminal environment.

Is a Regional Transit light rail station included in Central Terminal B?

The Central Terminal B program has identified right-of-way for the DNA line. The facility is designed to accept the light rail system when it is extended to the airport and the station’s planned location is on south side of the terminal.

Central Terminal B’s international arrivals facility is designed to accommodate passengers at what rate?

The Central Terminal B concourse is designed to allow two aircraft parking positions to International Arrivals Facility access. The new International Arrivals Facility will be located on the ground level of the Concourse and is being designed to accommodate up to 400 passengers per hour when the new Concourse opens in 2011. The facility can be easily expanded in the future to accommodate additional aircraft parking positions and up to 800 passengers per hour.

Why incorporate an automated people mover in the design?

Airports are most successful when they provide the highest possible level of customer service, such as ease of curbside access, provisions for passenger amenities and passenger walk distance. The distance between the terminal and airside concourse is approximately 1,200 feet plus an additional 600 feet to the farthest gate for a total walk distance of 1,800 feet. The automated people mover will move passengers faster and in comfort, both reducing the walk distance and increasing the level of service.

Why is the security screening checkpoint located in the airside concourse rather than the landside terminal complex?

After conducting numerous studies on the placement of the security checkpoint, it was determined that the airside could best accommodate this function largely in part due to the physical size required to accommodate it. If the checkpoint were located at the terminal, it would have required a full floor in the terminal, which would have altered the design of the terminal. Additionally, housing the checkpoint at the airside allows for ease of future expansion of additional airside concourses as well as continued use of the existing infrastructure supporting Terminal A.

Why isn’t the 40 year old FAA Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) being demolished?

The FAA ATCT is a federal facility, not the County. FAA has performed a facility assessment and has determined that the tower meets current regulatory and functional requirements. The assessment does identify a need to perform another assessment in 2012. The SCAS did initiate discussions with the FAA to construct a new tower as identified in the Airport Master Plan and paid FAA to prepare a tower siting and tower cab study. The SCAS was prepared to fund the construction of the new tower, with the expectation that FAA would reimburse or lease back the facility. The SCAS and FAA were unable to agree on the reimbursement or lease back terms. The final design of Central Terminal B will allow the tower to remain in place until such time the FAA decides to relocate it.

Will Terminal A ultimately be updated with a two-level roadway?

Terminal A will not be updated with a two-level roadway. During preparation of the Master Plan, traffic activity forecasts and terminal facilities requirements were prepared. Traffic activity growth and facilities requirements increases drove the need to analyze the (1) capacity for existing Terminals A and B and (2) what additional capacity was needed to accommodate future demand.

Resulting analysis determined that Terminal A has an unacceptable passenger level-of-service standard at the access roadway and curbside on many days of the week. The analysis also explored the feasibility of constructing a two-level roadway at Terminal A.

The analysis identified that the Terminal A ticketing and baggage claim lobbies were not designed to accommodate a second level. Therefore, to construct a two-level roadway and two-level terminal the following steps were required:
- Construction of temporary ticketing, outbound baggage and baggage claim facilities
- Demolition of existing ticketing and baggage claim lobbies
- Construction of the new two-level roadway and two-level terminal

It was determined that this alternative for increasing capacity was cost prohibitive and provided an unacceptable level-of-service compared to the recommended Airport Master Plan.

Why are runway improvements not included in the program?

The overarching Sacramento International Airport Master Plan does include the lengthening of the East Runway and the addition of a third runway. Central Terminal B is the highest priority among the Master Plan elements and financing capacity will be reached by Central Terminal B. Runway improvements will be addressed in the near future.

How many rooms are planned for the Central Terminal B hotel?

The proposed in-terminal hotel provides between 150 - 180 guest rooms on five floors levels above the Central Terminal B public landside areas. Meeting rooms, a restaurant, and a bar are planned for incorporated into the terminal design.

What sort of hotel is envisioned for Central Terminal B?

The program is targeting a focused or full service type hotel for incorporation in Central Terminal B. Further development is required before a final selection is known.

What can the public expect as impact during Central Terminal B’s construction?

Central Terminal B’s landside complex is sited centrally on airport property, but is designed to minimize negative impact to the public. Roadways and terminal curbsides will remain open and operational during the construction period. Traffic will be detoured only as necessary for construction.

The primary Central Terminal B site occupies the majority of the Terminal B Hourly Parking Lot and approximately half of the Daily B Parking Lot. During construction, these areas closed to facilitate the construction and parking areas will be relocated in the interim.

Airline activity will continue as scheduled but some airlines will require relocation ensure that the airlines
can continue to operate.

With the reduction of Terminal B public parking during construction, how will those customers be accommodated?

Terminal B hourly parking will be reconfigured in order to provide parking across from Terminal B. Additionally, the existing and previously closed Terminal A Daily Parking Lot will reopen and another Economy Parking be constructed on airport property off of Lindbergh Drive.

What impact will Central Terminal B construction have on rental car facilities?

Rental car facilities are located outside the Central Terminal B construction area and will continue to operate.

What new concessions will be in the program, any local vendors?

Central Terminal B is designed for a robust concession program. The airside concourse features a central concession village with a large public seating area surrounded by retail shopping and restaurants similar to what is familiar in Terminal A. The landside terminal features a passenger transfer level dedicated to retailers and restaurants that is completely accessible to the public; passengers and those meeting travelers at the airport.

What is the funding source for the program and is County General Fund a source?

The program will be funded from a combination of sources including: (1) airport revenue bonds, (2 passenger facility charges, (3) federal grants, and (4) airport cash balances. At this time, the County General Fund is not expected to be a funding source of the program.

How will the program cost impact the airlines and passengers?

Annual airline costs divided by the total number of enplaned passengers is expected to increase from $9 in FY 2009 to $15 when upon completion of Central Terminal B. A passenger facility charge of $4.50 will continue to be included in the ticket price of each passenger enplaning at the airport, until such time as a higher charge is legislated by Congress.

Will the general public be able to obtain information for the construction impact to daily operations?

SCAS will provide communications concerning construction impacts through media releases and by posting notices on the airport website at www.sacairports.org.

As a passenger, will I pay more to fly out of the Sacramento International Airport because of the cost of the new terminal?

Automobile parking rates at Sacramento International Airport will likely be increased in 2013 and 2015 to generate additional revenue needed to pay for the new facilities and second parking garage.

Airlines may choose to increase air fares due to increasing fuel prices, general economic conditions, demand on certain routes and increasing costs in general. Airport rentals and fees represent roughly four to six percent of airlines costs, nationwide. Consequently there is not a direct correlation between the cost of the new terminal and air fares.

When are project elements scheduled for completion?

Concourse B & Central Terminal B complete - Nov 2011
Terminal B demolition complete - May 2012
Interim International Arrivals building demo complete - Jan 2012

Will my airline change locations?

Yes, with the development of Central Terminal B, most all airlines will relocate to a new location, either to the new terminal or to existing Terminal A. This is necessary to accommodate all the airline requirements and to phase in the operation of the facilities.

What is the airport doing to address the airlines’ concerns about construction of the new terminal?

The Sacramento County Airport System met with the airlines many times over several years and successfully reduced the budget by $75 million. After numerous public hearings and design meetings which included the cost estimates, the Board of Supervisors selected the design that gives maximum flexibility - 50 years into the future - and is the least costly to build.

What kinds of fee increases are the airlines facing to help fund the new terminal?

Fee increases are independent of the new terminal. It was simply an action to move from residual rate making methodology to compensatory. Under residual, the airlines receive the subsidy of non-airline revenues being applied to their rate base and in return guarantee that all our expenses will be met. Under compensatory, we charge the airlines their full and fairly allocated share of costs only for those areas of the airport that they use and the County is assuming all the risk to ensure adequate revenues to support expenses.

How is the new facility justified to your airlines when they are struggling with high fuel prices and
domestic capacity cuts?

Sacramento County is the steward of the airport and is responsible to this community and the entire Northern California region to provide adequate terminal facilities for decades to come. It takes years to plan, design and build new terminal facilities. Now is the time to make an investment in the future. Long term decisions simply cannot be based on near-term economics. While Sacramento County understands and is sympathetic with our airline partners who are facing record fuel pricing and looking at capacity reductions, those challenges exist independent of the program in Sacramento.

Is it possible to delay construction?

Each month of project delay adds $10 million to the cost of the program. Literally, time is money.

Updated May 19, 2008