Four things to know about FAT: Fuel issues aside, plenty is happening at Fresno airport
An interruption of jet fuel deliveries to Fresno Yosemite International Airport drew the ire of passengers whose flights were delayed, diverted or canceled before and during the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend.
But as California and the nation recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing number of travelers take to the skies this year, there are some new developments – new construction, new technology, new routes and, most notably, a new airline – that passengers who have been grounded for more than a year will notice happening at the airport.
New parking garage
The most visible change is the construction of a new four-level parking garage that will offer a net increase of almost 700 parking stalls over the previous capacity of the sprawling parking lot across the street from the terminal building.
The $29 million structure is expected to open in October – ahead of schedule and under budget, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said earlier this year. When it opens, it will include electronic “smart parking” features that will let motorists know if there are empty stalls available, and on what level, so that drivers won’t have to circle the levels in vain.
With the construction site taking up some of the previous parking area, some drivers may find a shortage of parking, particularly on busy weekends as the volume of passengers increases.
The garage is the first stage of a larger airport terminal expansion dubbed “FATforward,” drawing on the airport’s official designation of FAT, based on the former moniker “Fresno Air Terminal.”
The $115 million project will include the addition of an upper-level concourse with two new gates and jet bridges that can be used for both domestic and international flights; enlarging the arrival and Customs area for international passengers; expanding the luggage-handling and sorting area for outbound flights; and increasing the number of Transportation Security Administration checkpoint lanes.
New airline service
While the garage may be the most imposing new feature rising at the airport, one of the most highly anticipated changes was the arrival of Southwest Airlines in Fresno. The low-cost airline launched its service at Fresno Yosemite International in late April with daily flights to Denver and Las Vegas.
Southwest’s schedule, while it doesn’t expand the number of nonstop destinations available from Fresno, does expand the array of options for travelers to Las Vegas or Denver, or for connections beyond on the airline’s route network.
Local travelers had for years expressed hope that Southwest would someday expand its service to include Fresno, and city leaders have hailed the airline’s new service as a “game changer” that has the ability to make the city a more prominent option for businesses nationwide for new locations.
New flights on established routes
In addition to the new daily flights by Southwest, airlines with an established presence at Fresno Yosemite International are putting more jets in the air to increase options for passengers.
American Airlines became the second airline to offer nonstop service between Fresno and Chicago, joining United Airlines on the route. American’s service was announced earlier this year as a seasonal route with flights starting in June and continuing through Labor Day, although some city officials and frequent fliers expressed hope that it could become a year-round route for the airline.
Delta Air Lines, which flies from Fresno to Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, launched a new route in late May with once-weekly flights to and from Seattle. Delta becomes the second airline with Fresno-Seattle flights, joining Alaska Airlines’ schedule of several daily nonstop flights between the two cities.
United Airlines resumed its service to Chicago earlier this year and upgraded one of its three daily flights on its Fresno-Denver service to one of the airline’s mainline jets. The other two flights continue to be provided aboard smaller regional jets operated by Utah-based SkyWest Airlines under a contract agreement.
New technology
The federal Transportation Security Agency recently unveiled new imaging technology at the Fresno airport that is expected to increase the speed at which its workers can screen passengers’ carry-on bags without people having to open their bags or remove some of the contents.
That’s becoming more important as passenger volume rebounds and security lines get longer.
The computer tomography, or CT, scanner generates a 3-D, X-ray image of a bag’s contents, which can be manipulated by a TSA officer to get a clearer view of what’s inside the bag. An algorithm also alerts the screener to possible dangers for further inspection. All of this is done without having to open the carry-on.
For passengers, it means you can leave everything in a carry-on during the screen, including electronics and food. It’s also expected to reduce the number of bags that are singled out for time-consuming hand-searches that can be a headache for passengers who are nervous about getting to the gate before the doors are shut on their flight.
Even with the new technology, however, TSA and airport officials said people need to arrive early and allow time as more passengers make their way through the security checkpoint.
