Sacramento County supervisors are moving ahead with a $1.3 billion expansion to Sacramento International Airport despite objections by airlines.

The supervisors plan to increase airline fees to pay for a new terminal, hotel, parking garage and people-moving tram. They unanimously agreed this week to boost the fee the airport charges each airline, from an average of $6 to $9 per passenger. The fee hike would start July 1 and would top out at more than $13 per passenger in 2013 before being gradually being lowered.

While the airlines will pass the cost back us the consumer I think this was a good move. The Sacramento region needs a first class airport in the decades to come. We also need to expand the desire for non- Southest Airlines to bring in more flights. Nothing against Southwest, but they are almost half the airline traffic out there. Hopefully this expansion will bring around more amenities and more flights, though we may need to get through the current fuel price issue first.