Sacramento Transportation

[creamcityleo79]

Originally Posted by brandon12

^that is impressive. It's cool that SMF gets lumped into the same class as those airports (although just barely; I'm pretty sure their annual passenger total is JUST over 10M). SMF is BY FAR the most convenient "real" airport I've ever used. I gladly pay a bit more to fly out of SMF whenever possible. I love it when my friends fly into SMF too, bc they can just call me when they land and I will be curbside at almost the exact same time they are if they don't check bags...

I think it's actually 11 or 12 million now. They passed 10 million 2 or 3 years ago, I believe.

Edit: I just read at http://www.sacairports.org/int/news/...Passengers.pdf that between Sept 2004 and Aug 2005 they passed 10 million passengers for the first time.

[travis bickle]

Originally Posted by brandon12

^that is impressive. It's cool that SMF gets lumped into the same class as those airports (although just barely; I'm pretty sure their annual passenger total is JUST over 10M). SMF is BY FAR the most convenient "real" airport I've ever used. I gladly pay a bit more to fly out of SMF whenever possible. I love it when my friends fly into SMF too, bc they can just call me when they land and I will be curbside at almost the exact same time they are if they don't check bags...

SMF is a great airport - but the difference between Terminal A and Terminal b is pretty striking. The airport will probably get close to 11 mil. total passengers this year. So far, 2007 has been terrific with new international flights to both Canada (Vancouver - Air Canada Jazz) and Mexico (Frontier - Cabo). Terminal A in the morning is pretty impressive with two 767s in succession headed for Hawaii and Delta 757s bound for Atlanta and SLC all on the same pier. Many observers feel that SMF will surpass San Jose this year for total passengers. San Jose has really taken it in the shorts since the dot.com bust.

The new terminal B (called the Central Terminal) looks to be spectacular. Should get under construction as early as this year with completion as soon as 2011. A cool $1.1 bil. That combined with the 787 being introduced within a year means non-stops to Europe are on the way.

[travis bickle]

Sorry for the repeat - having some server problems this morning.

[Grimnebulin]

Originally Posted by travis bickle

SMF is a great airport - but the difference between Terminal A and Terminal b is pretty striking. The airport will probably get close to 11 mil. total passengers this year. So far, 2007 has been terrific with new international flights to both Canada (Vancouver - Air Canada Jazz) and Mexico (Frontier - Cabo). Terminal A in the morning is pretty impressive with two 767s in succession headed for Hawaii and Delta 757s bound for Atlanta and SLC all on the same pier. Many observers feel that SMF will surpass San Jose this year for total passengers. San Jose has really taken it in the shorts since the dot.com bust.

The new terminal B (called the Central Terminal) looks to be spectacular. Should get under construction as early as this year with completion as soon as 2011. A cool $1.1 bil. That combined with the 787 being introduced within a year means non-stops to Europe are on the way.

They can't get rid of Terminal B quick enough. I just flew back from Chicago on Sunday and that terminal is horrible. The new Term B design looks amazing though - can't wait for it to be completed.

[Web]

The other side of terminal B is fast and eficient!! Frontier and NWA and JetBlue among others

Never a line up at security!!!!

[ozone]

City sheds light on 600 'secret' midtown parking spots
Plans include taking over state's East End garage at night
Sacramento Business Journal - May 25, 2007
by Melanie Turner

Downtown has more parking than many might think; only a handful of spots available at the East End garage get filled in the evenings. The city of Sacramento is negotiating to make government parking garages and lots available to the public, aiming to provide relief on the congested streets around the central city's nightlife hot spots.

One such deal calls for the city's parking services division to take over nighttime management of the state's East End parking garage on L Street between 16th and 17th streets, near the popular Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar and P.F. Chang's China Bistro at 16th and J. The City Council is set to consider the matter June 19.

If approved, the garage's 600 spaces would be available to the public for a flat $2-per-vehicle fee from 4 p.m. to as late as 2 a.m. each night, just as they are now, but the city would add lighting and signs to help draw in the public.

"While the state is operating the garage now at night, few know about it," said Linda Tucker of the city transportation department, in an e-mail. "It seems to be a well-kept secret."

City Councilman Steve Cohn said he and others worked "very hard" about five years ago to get the lot opened to the public. It took some doing, he said, because of worries that allowing non-state workers to use it could jeopardize tax-exempt bonds the state had used to finance the garage.

The lot was opened to the public a couple of years ago, he said, but still not many people use it.

"You might see 20 cars out of 600 available spots," Cohn said. "Clearly, there's a lot more potential."

Shawn Eldredge, immediate past president of the Midtown Business Association, said the association has been pushing for years for better public access to the garage.

"It hasn't been user-friendly at all," he said. "It's a very small entrance; it's not well-marked and not well-lit."

He said the association would like to see employees at clubs and restaurants shuttled between the garage and their jobs throughout midtown.
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I think this is a good idea. Parking is a problem for many people coming into the area and it effects the neighborhoods as people go further to find a parking space. It makes me angry how the state is always so unresponsive to the needs of the central city. It's as if downtown doesn't exist to these beuraucratic drones after 4:30 pm when they go home to the burbs. Even the fountain in front of state capitol is turned off by 6:00 pm...WTF? I also heard that MARRS owns a lot of the parking spaces behind the Depot/Badlands/Hot Rods and will, naturally, be using those for their businesses. If that's true I imagine that'll put the squeeze on those businesses.

I'm very supportive of public transit and walkable neighborhoods but it will take time for people (to borrow from an advert for a new Midtown condo) "recover from suburbanization". Maybe Midtown needs a new parking garage..but where? It should be like the one the city built across from the music circus with street-level retail.

[Web]

This parking exists today after working hours......the problem is no one could figure it out.....


I dont see where this is a State problem......cmon people use your heads and use it.........and I dont think it should be free.....

[ozone]

Originally Posted by Web

This parking exists today after working hours......the problem is no one could figure it out.....


I dont see where this is a State problem......cmon people use your heads and use it.........and I dont think it should be free.....

Or I just needed to rant about the state knuckleheads ( I don't care who's at 'fault' if anyone is..I just like verbally bashing the heads of any and all state departments)
City Councilman Steve Cohn said he and others worked "very hard" about five years ago to get the lot opened to the public. It took some doing, he said, because of worries that allowing non-state workers to use it could jeopardize tax-exempt bonds the state had used to finance the garage.

By the way, why aren't parking problems near the state capitol a "state problem"? I remember that in Paris the national government took a lot more responsibilty for the well being of their capitol city -and it shows! BTW who is asking for free parking?

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by travis bickle

Aeromexico has a long history of filing for rights that they never use. I hope this happens, but if it does this summer, it'll be a plesant surprise.

AeroMexico (if memory serves me correctly) was attempting to initiate service into Stockton Metropolitan Airport until the politicians there put the breaks on a new international arrivals/customs terminal rehab.

They might be getting serious at breaking into the Valley air market.

Additional air options for SMF would be great. Especially non stop service to Mexico City.

[Pistola916]

What ever happened to the proposed air service from Aer Lingus? I remember reading back in the biz journal, I believe last summer, that airport officials were trying to get service to Dublin. Also wasn't Jetblue planning nonstop to Boston sometime this summer?

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by Pistola916

What ever happened to the proposed air service from Aer Lingus? I remember reading back in the biz journal, I believe last summer, that airport officials were trying to get service to Dublin. Also wasn't Jetblue planning nonstop to Boston sometime this summer?

Aer Lingus is supposedly mulling their expansion plans.

The recent open skies agreetment probably is part of the delay.

I have no idea if SMF is part of those plans....

[travis bickle]

Originally Posted by urban_encounter

AeroMexico (if memory serves me correctly) was attempting to initiate service into Stockton Metropolitan Airport until the politicians there put the breaks on a new international arrivals/customs terminal rehab.

They might be getting serious at breaking into the Valley air market.

Additional air options for SMF would be great. Especially non stop service to Mexico City.

What ever happened to the proposed air service from Aer Lingus? I remember reading back in the biz journal, I believe last summer, that airport officials were trying to get service to Dublin. Also wasn't Jetblue planning nonstop to Boston sometime this summer?

Aer Lingus is supposedly mulling their expansion plans.
The recent open skies agreetment probably is part of the delay.

I have no idea if SMF is part of those plans....

AeroMexico had been in long negotiations with Stockton to serve SCK and as recently as a few months ago it looked like a go. But the County Board of Supervisors vetoed the final approval for a necessary terminal expansion including FIS facilities when costs mushroomed (total was something like $10 mil.) and some supervisors didn't seem comfortable with Aeromexico's level of commitment.

There are great questions about Aeromexico's financial viability these days and some talk of reorganization. They have also just removed ten planes from their inventory to reduce costs. They did this just before they filed for the Sacramento-Mexico City service. This filing earlier this month was part of a package seeking approval for 10 new routes. They have also recently dropped service to Boston and I believe a couple of other cities. As you can see, some mixed messages. I would love to see another international carrier at SMF and I think service to both Mexico City and Monterrey would be winners, but I'll need to see more from AeroMexico before I book any flights. I am surprised that Mexicana, which has had great success with both its Guadalajara and Cabo non-stops hasn't started a flight to Mexico City.

In March, Aer Lingus announced that it would begin service to San Francisco as its Northern California gateway. This came as a disappointing surprise to San Jose officials who had lobbied hard and spent some cash wooing Aer Lingus. SMF had made some overtures regarding SMF-Dublin service during a trade trip I believe in 2005 or 2006, but those efforts have been described to me as "low-key."

It is unlikely that SMF will see Aer Lingus service - or any non-stops to Europe before the new terminal is completed. Of course, SMF keeps proving people wrong.

Air Canada non-stops to Vancouver start June 15.

[travis bickle]

Word from Frontier Airlines is that the SMF-Cabo service was so successful this season that it will go seven days a week starting in October. It will drop to Saturdays only this summer as Cabo tourism drops significantly in the summer (although, I've always found summer to a great time to go as you get killer deals at hotels, warm water' reasonably crowd-free beaches and way fewer time-share salespeople). Frontier service started in March as 3x/week service. If this turns out true, it represents an important commitment from Frontier and may lead to even more international service from them for SMF. Frontier has pretty expanded its domestic network (Denver hub) as much as it can and is now focusing on US-MEX traffic. The daily service would compliment Mexicana's existing 4x/week non-stops to Cabo and would bring to 20x/week total flights to Mexico from SMF.

Including new Canada service (starts 6.15); total international flights a week from SMF will be 34. Not too shabby.

[BrianSac]

Originally Posted by travis bickle

Word from Frontier Airlines is that the SMF-Cabo service was so successful this season that it will go seven days a week starting in October. It will drop to Saturdays only this summer as Cabo tourism drops significantly in the summer (although, I've always found summer to a great time to go as you get killer deals at hotels, warm water' reasonably crowd-free beaches and way fewer time-share salespeople). Frontier service started in March as 3x/week service. If this turns out true, it represents an important commitment from Frontier and may lead to even more international service from them for SMF. Frontier has pretty expanded its domestic network (Denver hub) as much as it can and is now focusing on US-MEX traffic. The daily service would compliment Mexicana's existing 4x/week non-stops to Cabo and would bring to 20x/week total flights to Mexico from SMF.

Including new Canada service (starts 6.15); total international flights a week from SMF will be 34. Not too shabby.

Thanks for the info. We were talking about going to Cabo just the other day. We've been to Acupulco, Maztalan, and PV, but never Cabo. Never been on Frontier either, maybe its about time we do!

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by travis bickle

Word from Frontier Airlines is that the SMF-Cabo service was so successful this season that it will go seven days a week starting in October. It will drop to Saturdays only this summer as Cabo tourism drops significantly in the summer (although, I've always found summer to a great time to go as you get killer deals at hotels, warm water' reasonably crowd-free beaches and way fewer time-share salespeople). Frontier service started in March as 3x/week service. If this turns out true, it represents an important commitment from Frontier and may lead to even more international service from them for SMF. Frontier has pretty expanded its domestic network (Denver hub) as much as it can and is now focusing on US-MEX traffic. The daily service would compliment Mexicana's existing 4x/week non-stops to Cabo and would bring to 20x/week total flights to Mexico from SMF.

Including new Canada service (starts 6.15); total international flights a week from SMF will be 34. Not too shabby.

Hopefully Trans Atlantic service wont be too far off?

[travis bickle]

Originally Posted by urban_encounter

Hopefully Trans Atlantic service wont be too far off?

I think we need the combination of the new terminal and the 787. Probably not until 2010, but my understanding is that there are sufficient loads for daily service to London now.

I'm hoping the next announcement is the previously discussed non-stop to Mexico City. Other real possibilities this year include seasonal 1x/week Frontier to Cancun; seasonal 3-4x/week to Puerto Vallarta via Mexicana or Frontier; an additional daily flight to Vancouver via Air Canada.

This means there is reason for some confidence to expect that by December 2007, 53 international flights will depart SMF per week.

[BrianSac]

Originally Posted by travis bickle

I think we need the combination of the new terminal and the 787. Probably not until 2010, but my understanding is that there are sufficient loads for daily service to London now.

I'm hoping the next announcement is the previously discussed non-stop to Mexico City. Other real possibilities this year include seasonal 1x/week Frontier to Cancun; seasonal 3-4x/week to Puerto Vallarta via Mexicana or Frontier; an additional daily flight to Vancouver via Air Canada.

This means there is reason for some confidence to expect that by December 2007, 53 international flights will depart SMF per week.

In addition to the above, it would be nice to see non-stops to Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa Bay. I'm pretty sure we still do not have non-stop flights to those cities.

[travis bickle]

Originally Posted by BrianSac

In addition to the above, it would be nice to see non-stops to Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa Bay. I'm pretty sure we still do not have non-stop flights to those cities.

You are correct, no non-stops to any of those cities. Of that group, Boston is the most likely, probably with JetBlue and we could very well see it this year. Orlando is a possibility - plenty of load for it now but the problem with Orlando is that it is so low yield.

Of the remaining Florida cities, Ft. Lauderdale is stands the best chance because of their low operating costs vs. Miami, but all of these are long-shots at best.

Toronto and Montreal are, at this time, very unlikely but of the two, Toronto stands the better chance.

As SMF approaches 50 international flights/week or seven a day, that is getting close to maximizing the international arrivals gate with probably space for no more than two additional daily flights (unless someone went with another red-eye - which is realtively common w/Mexico service).

Until the new terminal opens (which I understand will even be A-380 capable), SMF will probably max-out at about 60 or so international flights a week.

[BrianSac]

Originally Posted by travis bickle

You are correct, no non-stops to any of those cities. Of that group, Boston is the most likely, probably with JetBlue and we could very well see it this year. Orlando is a possibility - plenty of load for it now but the problem with Orlando is that it is so low yield.

Of the remaining Florida cities, Ft. Lauderdale is stands the best chance because of their low operating costs vs. Miami, but all of these are long-shots at best.

Toronto and Montreal are, at this time, very unlikely but of the two, Toronto stands the better chance.

As SMF approaches 50 international flights/week or seven a day, that is getting close to maximizing the international arrivals gate with probably space for no more than two additional daily flights (unless someone went with another red-eye - which is realtively common w/Mexico service).

Until the new terminal opens (which I understand will even be A-380 capable), SMF will probably max-out at about 60 or so international flights a week.

In an earlier post, somebody mentioned that we might have non-stop flights to London....that would be great. But, isn't that a long shot considering our proximty to SFO.

I think we would have at least one non-stop to Florida by now. My guess is Ft. Lauderdale because its in the Miami area and because all the cruise ships that leave out of Biscayne Bay.

I am little surprised we don't have at least one non-stop flight to Boston by now either. Look forward to JetBlue providing that.

Someone told me that the problem with SMF reagarding A-380's, 777's, and 747's is that our runways are too short. Also, the airport is still battling enviornmentalists in trying to get the runways expanded. Environmentalists have issues with the giant gartner snake and birds of prey(a hawk and people who live in Natomas).

What ever happended to the new airport tower? Last I heard, like 2yrs ago, they were going to replace that before the Terminal B expansion. It should have been done by now.

[BrianSac]

double post