There’s been a significant change in the Goleta skyline as of late: Not only is there a prominent building being constructed at the city’s Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), but also the amount of flights and various airlines queuing the tarmac have also been altered. “It’s coming along amazingly well, we’re pretty much on schedule and on budget,” describes Hazel Johns, assistant airport director, of the new two-story, 60,000 square foot terminal that will accompany the existing 7,000 square-foot structure, targeted to open its doors by Spring 2011.
The new addition will house two concessions from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, both upstairs and downstairs, that will serve items such as coffee, muffins and other breakfast foods, along with take-out sandwiches.
The upstairs will include a restaurant and bar operated by First Class Concessions, Inc., a company based out of San Diego that has opened restaurants in other airports throughout cities in Florida, Oklahoma City and Phoenix.
The current owners of Santa Barbara News and Gifts, located in the existing terminal, will open up a gift shop on the second floor of the new one.
The site will have a new layout to direct incoming traffic in and out of the airport through the implementation of two lanes. One lane will be designated for the pick-up and drop-off of travelers in conventional vehicles while the other lane will be utilized by commercial vehicles, such as shuttle vans transporting groups of passengers and their baggage to and from the terminal.
The expansion of the airport shouldn’t place an undue burden on the parking situation, as 24-hour shuttles are already in place to carry passengers to and from the airport on a round-trip journey that takes only 7 to 8 minutes.
“Short-term parking will be directly across from the terminal,” explains Terri Gibson, marketing director for the SBA, of one of the improvements proposed for the remodel.
Despite the excitement generated from the ongoing construction, the airport has had its shares of highs and lows this summer largely due to the economy.
United decided to drop their route to San Jose because of its decreasing customer base, and Horizon Air canceled its flights to Sacramento around the same time.
However, the airport was able to gain a couple of new flights as Frontier Airlines agreed to begin flying non-stop to Denver twice a day earlier in the year.
Although the new, larger, more comfortable digs will make things easier for the business travelers who make up a majority of the passengers and SBA employees, it will have little effect on the amount of tickets sold by the airlines.
“It’s depending on the population and demographics in your region in what attract airlines,” suggests Gibson.
According to Johns, the economy is gradually getting better, but not to the point where flights are reaching their full capacity. In the meantime, the airport will continue to seek an airline that will provide flights to San Jose, as well as court a suitor for the Sacramento route.
But as the progress on the construction of the new terminal continues, the SBA is hoping the sky’s the limit.