The airport is also a gateway to various attractions in Northern and Central California, such as Heavenly Mountain Resort,[3] Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park,[4] Old Sacramento State Historic Park history of gold rush, underground tunnels, floods, and fire, etc.,[5][6] California State Capitol, Wine Country,[7] Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area,[8] Cosumnes River Preserve,[9] Hawver Cave with a lake inside,[10] Sutter's Mill and Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park[11] and Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.

[15] In 1998, the consolidated rental car facility and Terminal A (designed by Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects) opened.

This innovation streamlined bus operations to reduce congestion at the terminal and improve air quality while enhancing customer service.

[15] As the nation's economy was taking a hit in 2008, commercial aviation was challenged by reduced passenger numbers and increasing fuel and other costs.

[15] The airport was a focus city for ExpressJet which independently operated Embraer ERJ-145s on point-to-point, "hub bypass" routes.

[citation needed] In 2008, ExpressJet ended all independent flying and refocused its business on codeshares for major airlines.

[citation needed] Long dominated by Southwest and United (United Express), the intra-California market was joined in 2011 by American (American Eagle Airlines, April 2011) and Delta (Delta Connection) which provide service to and from LAX.

[citation needed] Sacramento County tried (and failed) to entice Virgin America into adding a flight between SMF and Los Angeles by offering the airline $400,000 to operate out of terminal A or $150,000 to operate in terminal B; other airports were also trying to entice the airline.

On November 18, 2014, United Airlines announced it would suspend service to Washington D.C. from January 6, 2015, to April 6, 2015, citing seasonal demand.

[32] In 2018, Southwest added nonstop service to Austin, New Orleans, Orlando, San Jose del Cabo, and St. Louis.

By 2019, Southwest added much-awaited service to Honolulu and Kahului, exemplifying the evolution and growth of Sacramento International Airport as well as its burgeoning route network offerings, especially in the 2010s.

Future expansion plans include an extension of the Green Line to the airport, connecting passengers to Downtown Sacramento and a long-standing proposal to extend one of the airport's runways to 11,000 feet (3,400 meters) to support long-haul international flights, as well as the relocation of certain key taxiways.

Arrivals from the south fly past the west side of the airport before turning 180 degrees and landing on 17L or 17R.

During the other 30% of the year (typically between the fall and spring), the airfield operates in "North Flow", with arrivals and departures on runways 35L and 35R.

Residences near SMF are typically south and east of the airport, so North Flow is preferred at night (between 2145 and 0745 local time), conditions permitting, to route flights over agricultural land.

All indoor public areas have free wi-fi (wireless Internet) provided by the Sacramento County Airport System.

The Oakland and San Francisco airports attract Sacramento-area residents seeking lower fares and more destinations.

Future expansion at Terminal A may include conversion to an airside concourse and the addition of a second automated people mover.

Aeromexico, Alaska, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and Volaris are located in the nineteen gates in Terminal B.

Approximately half of the $1 billion cost of the new terminal comes from a new ticket surcharge of $4.50 per passenger and parking fees.

Airport officials held a press conference on July 15, 2011, at the California State Fair, announcing the terminal would open on October 6, 2011.

Salvage and deconstruction of the International Arrivals Building and demolition of the original Terminal B was completed November 2012.

[citation needed] Other Sacramento favorites held concession stands in the terminal, creating an entirely new Farm To Fork vibe in the airport which Northern California is so renowned for.

[citation needed] The Terminal B lobby prominently features the 2011 artwork "Leap" by Lawrence Argent, consisting of a 56-foot (17 m) long red aluminum rabbit leaping into a large granite suitcase,[58] resulting in the unofficial nickname "the Hare-port.

"[59] In total, 14 artists were commissioned at a sum cost of $6 million to create artworks for the new Terminal B,[60] including the mixed media wood-and-crystal sculpture "Acorn Steam" by Donald Lipski (named as an anagram of "Sacramento"), the interactive "Your Words are Music to My Ears" by the collaboration Living Lenses, consisting of artists Po Shu Wang and Louise Bertelsen,[59] a large wooden sculpture portrait entitled "The Baggage Handlers" by Christian Moeller, and a painted steel-and-glass house entitled "The House Will Not Pass for Any Color but Its Own" by Mildred Howard.

The one-mile (1.6 km) extension project, which broke ground on April 29, 2023,[97] was expected to be completed by the end of 2023,[98] but was pushed back to 2024.

[100] The Sacramento Regional Transit District will provide a future light rail link, an extension of the Green Line, to the airport.

[101][needs update] Both Altamont Corridor Express and Amtrak California San Joaquins services are expected to terminate at a nearby planned Natomas/Airport station where bus bridges will complete the journey to the airport.