SAF · A genuinely walkable one-room regional field where curb-to-gate ease and short security win, but you trade away lounges, real airside food, and recovery options when hub weather hits.
ABQ · A compact high-desert hall with cheap parking, a free downtown bus, and genuinely local food — undone by no lounge, a closed observation deck, and an off-site rental barn.
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
SAF4.0
ABQ7.5+3.5
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
SAF6.0
ABQ7.4+1.4
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
SAF6.3
ABQ7.4+1.1
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
SAF1.0
ABQ2.0+1.0
Drivers using the $8 Basic Economy or $14 garage
Budget riders on free ABQ RIDE Route 50
Saturday evening food-hall hours — most kitchens close early
Walking to an in-terminal rental counter — the barn is at 3400 University SE
Stale Spirit / Boutique / A1–A4-only maps
TSA PreCheck lane
Arrive 75–90 minutes before departure
SAF is tiny, but the single security lane and limited staff mean one delayed flight or a full regional jet can create a sudden queue.
Treat it as one room with gates
There is effectively one terminal building; once past security you are steps from every gate — no train, no long walkways.
Eat before you clear security or plan on limited options
Airside food is minimal; grab a real meal in town or at the landside café if you need more than snacks and coffee.
ABQ
Single-checkpoint Pueblo Revival terminalFood Hall + Sadie’s + Laguna BurgerComplimentary Sunport Wi-FiABQ RIDE Route 50 Zero FareNo passenger loungeNursing room, adult changing, SARA at A7
TSA’s published window is 04:00–23:45
Official checkpoint hours are 4:00 a.m. to 11:45 p.m., subject to TSA closing earlier when the last departure is gone.
One checkpoint, then A left / B right
Clear once, then walk the T-connector food hall into Concourse A or B. Commuter C (Advanced Air C1) is on the departures level, not a second TSA.
Clear first; the food hall is airside
The new Food Hall sits after security in the T-connector. Landside food is basically Black Mesa Coffee and Great Hall Landing on the Great Hall’s second floor.
