San Francisco International Airport

History

San Francisco held a dedicated ceremony for Mills Field Municipal Airport on May 7, 1927 on 150 acres (61 ha) of cow pasture. The land was leased from Ogden L. Mills who had leased it from his grandfather Darius O. Mills. San Francisco International Airport was named Mills Field Municipal Airport until 1931, when it became San Francisco Municipal Airport. "Municipal" was replaced by "International" in 1955.

United Airlines served SFO and Oakland Municipal Airport beginning in the 1930s. The March 1939 Official Aviation Guide shows 18 airline departures on weekdays— seventeen United flights and one TWA flight. The aerial view c. 1940 looks west along the runway that is now 28R; the seaplane harbor at right is still recognizable north of the airport. Earlier aerial looking NW 1943 vertical aerial (enlargeable) The August 1952 chart shows runway 1L 7000 feet long, 1R 7750 feet, 28L 6500 feet and 28R 8870 feet.

In addition to United, Pacific Seaboard Air Lines was operating service between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1933 with Bellanca CH-300 prop aircraft on a coastal routing of San Francisco - San Jose - Salinas - Monterey - Paso Robles - San Luis Obispo - Santa Maria - Santa Barbara - Los Angeles. Competition with United led Pacific Seaboard to move all of its operations to the eastern U.S., and rename itself Chicago and Southern Air Lines (C&S). It became a large domestic and international air carrier. Chicago & Southern was acquired by and merged into Delta Air Lines in 1953 thus providing Delta with its first international routes . Delta used the route authority inherited from C&S to fly one of its first international services operated with Convair 880 jet aircraft from San Francisco to Montego Bay, Jamaica and Caracas, Venezuela via intermediate stops in Dallas and New Orleans in 1962.

United Airlines Douglas DC-6 propliners flying to and from Hawaii used the Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) terminal beginning in 1947.

The first nonstops to the U.S. east coast were flown by United with Douglas DC-7 propliners in 1954. Also in 1954 the airport's Central Passenger Terminal opened on August 27 of that year. Included in the large static display of aircraft on that day was a Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber, a marvel for its time. The Central Passenger Terminal was heavily rebuilt as the international terminal in 1984 and then modified again as the current Terminal 2. Domestically, the April 1957 Official Airline Guide (OAG) lists 71 scheduled weekday departures on United (plus ten flights a week to Honolulu), 22 on Western Airlines, 19 on Southwest Airways (which was later renamed Pacific Air Lines), twelve on Trans World Airlines (TWA), seven on American Airlines and three on Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). As for international flights, Pan American had 21 departures a week, Japan Airlines (JAL) had five and Qantas also had five.

The jet age arrived at SFO in March 1959 when TWA introduced Boeing 707-131 jetliners with nonstop service to New York Idlewild Airport (which was subsequently renamed JFK Airport in 1963). United then constructed a large maintenance facility at San Francisco for its new Douglas DC-8 jets, which were also flying nonstop service to New York. In July 1959 the first jetway bridge was installed at SFO, which was one of the first in the United States. The cover of the January 3, 1960 American Airlines system timetable contained this message: "NOW! 707 JET FLAGSHIP SERVICE - NONSTOP SAN FRANCISCO - NEW YORK: 2 FLIGHTS DAILY" Also in 1960, Western Airlines was operating "champagne flights" with Boeing 707 jets and Lockheed L-188 Electra propjets to Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego and Portland, OR. In 1961, the airport had helicopter service operated by San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines (known as SFO Helicopter Airlines and also as SFO Helicopter) with 68 flights a day. Helicopter flights were operated from the airport to downtown heliports in San Francisco and Oakland, to a new heliport located near the Berkeley Marina and also to Oakland Airport (OAK). In its timetable, SFO Helicopter Airlines, which was based at the airport, described its rotorcraft as "modern, jet turbine powered Sikorsky S-62 ten passenger amphibious helicopters". By 1962, Delta Air Lines was operating Convair 880 jetliners into the airport on one its first international jet services with a routing of San Francisco - Dallas Love Field - New Orleans - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Caracas, Venezuela. Also in 1962, National Airlines began operating multistop transcontinental jet service with Douglas DC-8s flying a routing of San Francisco - Houston Hobby Airport - New Orleans - Miami.

Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was operating all of its SFO flights by 1962 with new Lockheed L-188 Electra propjets with nonstop service to Los Angeles (LAX) and Burbank (BUR, now Bob Hope Airport) with direct one stop flights to San Diego (SAN) via LAX or BUR. PSA was operating 14 departures a day on a Monday through Thursday basis to southern California in the summer of 1962 with 21 departures on Fridays and 22 departures on Sundays. By 1965, PSA was operating new Boeing 727-100 jetliners on its intrastate routes in California, which were joined in 1967 by new Boeing 727-200 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets. In 1974, PSA was operating new wide body Lockheed L-1011 TriStar jetliners on flights from SFO nonstop to Los Angeles and Sacramento with direct one stop service to San Diego and was the only intrastate air carrier in the U.S. ever to operate wide body aircraft. Following the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, PSA then expanded its route system outside of California. By 1967, another intrastate air carrier had joined PSA at SFO: Air California operating Lockheed L-188 Electra propjets nonstop to Orange County Airport (SNA, now John Wayne Airport). Like PSA, Air California (later renamed AirCal) eventually became an all-jet airline and expanded its route network outside of California. AirCal was acquired by and merged into American Airlines while PSA was acquired by and merged into USAir (later renamed US Airways and then eventually merged with American Airlines).

The first international service was jointly operated by Australian National Airways (ANA) and British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA) with Douglas DC-4 propliners flying a routing of Sydney - Auckland - Fiji - Kanton Island - Honolulu - San Francisco - Vancouver, BC with the inaugural flight departing from Australia on September 15, 1946. TWA began flying nonstop to Europe with Lockheed Constellation propliners (L-1649 models) in 1957. In 1959, Qantas had taken over the ANA/BCPA route from SFO to Sydney and was operating Boeing 707 service to Australia via intermediate stops in Honolulu and Nadi, Fiji. Pan Am attempted to operate Boeing 707-320 jetliners from Tokyo nonstop to SFO in 1960-61 (the westbound nonstops had to await the longer range Boeing 707-320B due to the prevailing winds on the route). Also in 1960, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC, the predecessor of British Airways) was serving the airport with Bristol Britannia turboprops that were flying a westbound routing of London - New York City - San Francisco - Honolulu - Wake Island - Tokyo - Hong Kong as part of the airline's around-the-world service. By the next year, BOAC had replaced the large, British-manufactured Britannia propjets with Boeing 707s now being flown on this intercontinental route, which enabled the airline to eliminate the technical stop at the Wake Island Airfield. Japan Airlines (JAL) was flying Douglas DC-8 jetliners by 1961 on a routing of San Francisco - Honolulu - Tokyo. Also in 1961, Lufthansa had begun serving SFO with Boeing 707s operating a routing of San Francisco - Montreal Dorval Airport - Paris Orly Airport - Frankfurt three days a week. Lufthansa then operated Boeing 720B jets on this same routing in 1963 and was also flying Boeing 707 service to Frankfurt via stops in Montreal and London Heathrow Airport the same year. By 1965, Pan American-Grace Airways, known as Panagra, was operating Douglas DC-8 jets on an international routing of San Francisco - Los Angeles - Panama City, Panama - Lima, Peru - Santiago, Chile - Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Panagra service to Latin America was taken over in the late 1960s by Braniff International, which operated Douglas DC-8-62 long range jetliners into SFO following Braniff's acquisition of Panagra. By 1970, CP Air (formerly Canadian Pacific Air Lines) was flying nonstop to Vancouver, BC with continuing, no change of plane Boeing 737-200 jet service to Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Southwest Airways began flying scheduled passenger operations from SFO in 1946 with war surplus C-47s, the military version of the Douglas DC-3. In the late 1950s, Southwest Airways changed its name to Pacific Air Lines, which was based at SFO. In 1959, Pacific Air Lines began operating new Fairchild F-27 turboprop aircraft from SFO and by 1966 was flying new Boeing 727-100 jetliners from the airport. Pacific used the 727 to introduce the first jet service from San Francisco to several destinations in California including Bakersfield, Eureka/Arcata, Fresno, Lake Tahoe, Monterey and Santa Barbara.

In 1968, Pacific merged with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West, which also had its headquarters at SFO. West Coast Airlines had served SFO primarily with Douglas DC-9-10 jet service and Fairchild F-27 turboprop flights to destinations in Oregon and Washington state. In 1970, Air West was acquired by Howard Hughes who renamed the airline Hughes Airwest, which continued to be based at the airport where it also operated a hub. By the late 1970s, the airline was operating an all-jet fleet of Boeing 727-200, Douglas DC-9-10 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jetliners serving an extensive route network in the western U.S. with flights to Mexico and western Canada as well. Hughes Airwest was eventually acquired by Minneapolis-based Republic Airlines (1979-1986) in 1980 and the airline's corporate headquarters office at SFO was closed.

The airport closed following the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989, reopening the following morning. Minor damage to the runways was quickly repaired.

Expansion, retreat, and recovery

In 1989, a master plan and Environmental Impact Report were prepared to guide development over the next two decades. During the boom of the 1990s and the dot-com boom SFO became the sixth busiest airport in the world, but since 2001, when the boom ended, SFO has fallen out of the top twenty. United Express turboprops were scheduled 60 minutes apart to shuttle connecting passengers between SFO and nearby San Jose International Airport during the boom era. United Groundlink supplemented this service with alternate 60 minute frequencies.

A $1 billion international terminal opened in December 2000, replacing Terminal 2 (known then as the Central Terminal). This terminal has an aviation museum and library as part of the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum. SFO’s long-running program of cultural exhibits, now called SFO Museum, won unprecedented accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 1999.

A long-planned extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system to the airport opened on June 22, 2003, allowing passengers to board BART trains at the international terminal and have direct rail transportation to downtown San Francisco, Oakland and the East Bay. On February 24, 2003, the AirTrain people mover opened, transporting passengers between terminals, parking lots, the BART station, and the rental car center on small automatic trains.

SFO experiences delays (known as flow control) in overcast weather when only two of the airport's four runways can be used at a time because the centerlines of the parallel runways are only 750 feet (230 m) apart. Airport planners have floated proposals to extend the airport's runways into San Francisco Bay to accommodate arrivals and departures during low visibility. To expand into the bay the airport would be required by law to restore bay land elsewhere in the Bay Area to offset the fill. Such proposals have met resistance from environmental groups, fearing damage to the habitat of animals near the airport, recreational degradation (such as windsurfing) and bay water quality. Such delays (among other reasons) caused some airlines, especially low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines, to shift all of their service from the airport to Oakland and San Jose. However, Southwest eventually returned to SFO in 2007.

SFO has become the base of operations for start-up airline Virgin America, with service to over 20 destinations. On October 4, 2007, an Airbus A380 jumbo jet made its first visit to SFO. On July 14, 2008 SFO was voted Best International Airport in North America for 2008 in the World Airports Survey by Skytrax. The following year on June 9, Skytrax announced SFO as the second-best International Airport in North America in the 2009 World Airports Survey, losing to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

In response to longstanding FAA concerns that the airport's air traffic control tower would be unable to withstand a major earthquake, on July 9, 2012, crews broke ground for a new torch-shaped tower. Originally scheduled for completion in the summer of 2016 at a cost of $102 million, the new tower, located between terminals 1 and 2, began operations on October 15, 2016.

SFO was one of several US airports that operated the Registered Traveler program from April 2007 until funding ended in June 2009. This program let travelers who had paid for pre-screening pass through security checkpoints quickly. Baggage and passenger screening is operated by Covenant Aviation Security, a Transportation Security Administration contractor, nicknamed "Team SFO". SFO was the first airport in the United States to integrate in-line baggage screening into its baggage-handling system and has been a model for other airports since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Runways

The airport covers 5,207 acres (21.07 km²) at an elevation of 13.1 feet (4.0 m). It has 4 asphalt runways:

During normal operations (approximately 83% of the time), departing aircraft use Runways 01L/01R and arriving aircraft use Runways 28L/28R. This configuration is known as the West Plan. During other operations, departing aircraft use Runways 10L/10R and arriving aircraft use Runways 19L/19R. This configuration is known as the Southeast Plan.

Runway safety area construction

In the summers of 2013 and 2014, the runways shut down in pairs to work on improvements to the runway safety areas.

Improvements made were:

Aircraft noise abatement

SFO was one of the first airports to implement a Fly Quiet Program, which grades airlines on their performance on noise abatement procedures while flying in and out of SFO. The Jon C. Long Fly Quiet Program was started by the Aircraft Noise Abatement Office to encourage airlines to operate as quietly as possible at SFO.

SFO was one of the first U.S. airports to conduct a residential sound abatement retrofitting program. Established by the FAA in the early 1980s, this program evaluated the cost effectiveness of reducing interior sound levels for homes near the airport, within the 65 CNEL noise contour. The program made use of a noise computer model to predict improvement in specific residential interiors for a variety of noise control strategies. This pilot program was conducted for a neighborhood in South San Francisco and success was achieved in all of the homes analyzed. The costs turned out to be modest, and the post-construction interior sound level tests confirmed the predictions for noise abatement. To date over $153 million has been spent to insulate more than 15,000 homes in the neighboring cities of Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno, and South San Francisco.

Terminals

The airport has four terminals (1, 2, 3, and International) and seven concourses (Boarding Areas A through G) arranged alphabetically in a counterclockwise ring. Terminal 1 (Boarding Areas B and C), Terminal 2 (Boarding Area D), and Terminal 3 (Boarding Areas E and F) handle domestic flights (including precleared flights from Canada). The International Terminal (Boarding Areas A and G) handle international flights and some domestic flights.

Airside connectors

There exist two airside connectors at SFO that enable passengers to roam (post-security) between adjacent terminal buildings. A short airside connector links T3's Boarding Area F (adjacent to Amex Centurion Lounge) to the International Terminal Boarding Area G. An airy 500-foot airside connector links T1's Boarding Area C to T2.

There are no airside connectors between: T1 and International Boarding Area A; T2 and T3; International Boarding Areas A and G (the main terminal area of the International Terminal separates the two boarding areas). By approximately 2020 to 2022, the demolition and rebuild of the southern portion of T1 (Boarding Area B) will have been completed and an airside connector to International Boarding Area A will be added.

Terminal 1

Formerly known as the "South Terminal", Terminal 1 is composed of Boarding Area B, which has 24 gates (gates 20-23, 24A-B, 25-31, 32A-C, 33-35, 36A-B, 37-39) and Boarding Area C, which has 10 gates (gates 40-44, 45A-B, and 46-48). A third boarding area, Rotunda A, was demolished in 2007. The first version of the terminal, which cost $14 million, opened in 1963 and Rotunda A opened in 1974. The terminal was designed by Welton Becket and Associates. The terminal underwent a $150 million renovation designed by Howard A. Friedman and Associates, Marquis Associates and Wong & Brocchini that was completed in 1988. Beginning in late 2015, Terminal 1 will be rebuilt in a $2.4-billion project to modernize the concourse and add gates. The multi-phase project will yield a total of 24 gates when complete in 2024 (the existing Boarding Area B has fewer than 20 usable gates), including a secure FIS connector to the existing customs facilities in the International Terminal. This will effectively add two new gates that can handle international arrivals.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2, formerly known as the "Central Terminal", opened in 1954 as the main airport terminal. After a drastic rebuilding designed by Gensler, it replaced Rotunda A as SFO's international terminal in 1983 and was closed for indefinite renovation when the current international terminal opened in 2000. Its only concourse is Boarding Area D, which has 14 gates (gates 50, 51A, 51B, 52, 53, 54A, 54B, 55, 56A, 56B, 57, 58A, 58B, 59). The control tower and most operations offices were (and still are) located on the upper levels, and the departure and arrival areas served as walkways between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.

On May 12, 2008, a $383 million renovation project was announced that included a new control tower, the use of green materials, and a seismic retrofit. The newly renovated terminal also designed by Gensler features permanent art installations from Janet Echelman, Kendall Buster, Norie Sato, Charles Sowers, and Walter Kitundu. Terminal 2 set accolades by being the first U.S. airport to achieve LEED Gold status. The terminal reopened on April 14, 2011, with Virgin America and American Airlines sharing the new 14-gate common-use facility. American's check-in counters have been consolidated to T2, but American's operation is split between T2's Boarding Area D and T1's Boarding Area C (linked via an airside connector). Terminal 2 hosts an Admirals Club.

Terminal 3

Formerly known as the "North Terminal", Terminal 3 has Boarding Area E has 10 gates (gates 60–69) and Boarding Area F has 29 gates (gates 70, 71A-B, 72-76, 73A, 77A-C, 78-83, 84A-D, 85-90, and 87A). This $82.44 million terminal designed by San Francisco Airport Architects (a joint venture of John Carl Warnecke and Associates, Dreyfus and Blackford, and minority architects) is used for United Airlines' domestic flights. Mainline United flights use both boarding areas, while United Express regional flights use Boarding Area F. Boarding Area F opened in 1979 and Boarding Area E opened in 1981. American Airlines and Air Canada occupied Boarding Area E until it closed for refurbishment in 2011. It reopened on January 28, 2014. The project moved one gate from Boarding Area F on to Boarding Area E to provide a total of ten aircraft parking positions. As part of the airport's FY 2010/11 – FY 2014/15 Capital Plan, Terminal 3 will be renovated. This renovation includes architectural enhancements, structural renovations, replacement of HVAC systems, roof repair, and new carpeting. There are two United Clubs in Terminal 3 - one near the rotunda for Boarding Area F, and another one in the beginning of Boarding Area E. Terminal 3 also houses the American Express Centurion Lounge, located across from Gate 74.

International Terminal

The International Terminal is composed of Boarding Areas A and G. The terminal was designed by Craig W. Hartman of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and opened in December 2000 to replace the International Departures section of Terminal 2. It is the largest international terminal in North America, and is the largest building in the world built on base isolators to protect against earthquakes. Food service focuses on quick service versions of leading San Francisco Bay Area restaurants, following other SFO terminals. Planners attempted to make the airport a destination in and of itself, not just for travelers who are passing through. The international terminal is a common-use facility, with all gates and all ticketing areas shared among international airlines and several domestic carriers. Common-use terminal equipment (CUTE) is used at check-in counters and gates. All international arrivals and departures are handled here (except flights from cities with customs preclearance). The International Terminal houses the airport's BART station, adjacent to the garage leading to Boarding Area G. The SFO Medical Clinic is located next to the security screening area of Boarding Area A. All the gates in this terminal have at least two jetway bridges except gates A2 and A10, which have one. Gates A1, A3, and A11 can accommodate two aircraft. Six of the gates are designed for the Airbus A380, making SFO one of the first airports in the world with such gates when it was built in 2000. Gates A9 (9A, 9B, 9C) and G101 (101A, 101B, 101C) have three jetways for boarding. Four other gates have two jetways fitted for A380 service.

The International Terminal completed a continuous ring of terminals, by filling in the last remaining gap to the west of then-existing terminals. Its geometry required that the terminal structure be built above the main access road, at enormous expense, including building dedicated ramps for connectivity to Highway 101. The design and construction of the international terminal was by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Del Campo & Maru Architects, Michael Willis Associates, and built by Tutor Perini (main terminal building), Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum in association with Robin Chiang & Company, Robert B. Wong Architects, and built by Tutor Perini (Boarding Area G), and Gerson/Overstreet Architects and built by Hensel Phelps Construction (Boarding Area A). The contracts were awarded after an architectural design competition.

International flights operated by Star Alliance carriers, with some exceptions, are assigned to Boarding Area G's 15 gates (G91, G92–G92A, G93–G98, G99–G99A, G100, G101–G101A, G102) and three remote parking stands. Exceptions include: Asiana Airlines and Avianca El Salvador, which have been designated Boarding Area A; and non-aligned carriers Aer Lingus, Fiji Airways, WestJet (select flights), and WOW air, which utilizes this boarding area. All of United's international flights and select domestic flights board and deplane at Boarding Area G. When all gates in an airlines' designated international boarding area are full, the passengers will board or deplane from the opposite international boarding area.

International flights operated by SkyTeam, Oneworld and non-aligned international carriers, with some exceptions, board and deplane at Boarding Area A's 13 gates (gates A1–A10, A11–A11A, A12). Some exceptions to this include: Star Alliance carriers Asiana Airlines and Avianca El Salvador, both of which operate out of this boarding area; and non-aligned carriers Aer Lingus, Fiji Airways, WestJet (select flights), and WOW air, which have designated gates located at Boarding Area G. Boarding Area A is also used by domestic carriers Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Sun Country Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines.

Air Canada, Aer Lingus, Etihad Airways, and WestJet are international air carriers operating from airports with United States border preclearance, allowing arriving passengers to skip the wait at customs and immigration when they arrive at SFO, and exit the airport from the departure level.

The two main designations for the International Terminal are "I", and "INTL" (abbreviations for "International"). Oftentimes travel itineraries will say "T-I", and this has led to instances where passengers misinterpret the "I" as Terminal 1, especially since both Boarding Area A and Boarding Area G are used for a limited number of domestic flights.

Airlines and destinations

AirTrain

AirTrain is the airport's landside people-mover system. Fully automated and free of charge, it connects all four terminals, the two international terminal garages, the BART station, and the airport's Rental Car Center.

BART

The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) BART station, located in Parking Garage G of the International Terminal, is the only direct rail link between the airport, the city of San Francisco, and the general Bay Area. The SFO station is served by the Pittsburg/Bay Point – SFO/Millbrae line.

Caltrain

BART is SFO's connection to Caltrain at the Millbrae Station, which requires a transfer at the San Bruno station during most of BART's weekday operating hours; direct service between SFO and Millbrae is available on weekday evenings, weekends, and holidays. Caltrain used to offer a free shuttle to SFO airport from the Millbrae station, but it was replaced by BART service when the SFO extension was completed.

Bus

The San Francisco Municipal Railway, San Francisco's transit agency, does not provide service to the airport. However, SamTrans, San Mateo County's transit agency, does, with five lines, 140, 292, 397, 398, and KX, connecting the Airport with Downtown San Francisco, the Peninsula, and as far south as Palo Alto. In particular:

Samtrans can be accessed on the arrivals/baggage claim level of the domestic terminals and in courtyard A or G in the International Terminal.

Numerous door-to-door "shared ride" van and hotel courtesy shuttles stop at the center transportation island on the departure level, while airporter and limousine are on the arrivals/baggage claim level of the airport. Charter services are also available in the courtyards.

Car

The airport is located on U.S. Route 101, 13 miles (21 km) south of downtown San Francisco. It is near the US 101 interchange with Interstate 380, a short freeway that connects US 101 with Interstate 280.

The airport provides both short-term and long-term parking facilities.

Short term parking is located in the central terminal area and two international terminal garages. Long term parking is located on South Airport Blvd. and San Bruno Ave. and are served by shuttle buses.

Passengers can also park long-term at a select number of BART stations that have parking lots, with a permit purchased online in advance.

Taxi

Taxis depart from designated taxi zones located at the roadway center islands, on the Arrivals/Baggage Claim Level of all terminals.

Ride share services (or transportation network companies) such as Lyft and Uber are available via their respective mobile app and can be picked up at the curbside of the each terminal's departure (not arrival) level.

Other facilities

Nippon Cargo Airlines has its San Francisco branch on the airport property.

Prior to its merger that formed Air West, Pacific Air Lines had its corporate headquarters on the grounds of the airport. Hughes Airwest, the successor to Air West, also had its headquarters on the grounds of the airport.

Accidents and incidents

In popular culture