SFO’s new 221-foot air traffic control tower is not just a gateway to the Pacific, it’s a gateway to Silicon Valley. CLICK to see inside it! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
San Francisco International Airport had the highest rate of international passenger growth among US airports last year, and continues to add new international flights at a dizzying pace. And it’s not just SFO that’s growing– San Jose and Oakland are picking up new overseas flights, too.
This is most likely due to the strength of the Bay Area economy, and the need for better, faster access to the tech center of the universe.
According to the International Trade Administration, SFO posted a 9 percent increase in international travelers in 2015, ahead of other major international gateway airports such as New York-JFK, LAX, and Miami. Much of the increased traffic to SFO and elsewhere in the US is coming from China which grew a whopping 25% in 2015.
If you are having trouble keeping up with all the new flights coming to the Bay Area, here’s a rundown:
In 2015, SFO added the following new flights:
The right side of Turkish Airlines inaugural B777 to SFO was a mural of Istanbul- on the left was a mural of San Francisco (Chris McGinnis)
- April – Turkish Airlines launched nonstop B777 service to Istanbul
- May – Swiss International nearly doubled its nonstop service to Zurich
- June – China Southern began nonstop service to Guangzhou
- September – COPA launched with nonstop 737 service to Panama City
- December – Air India launched the first nonstop flight from U.S. West Coast to Delhi
- December – Qantas returned to SFO with B747 nonstop service to Sydney
Fiji Airways is SFO’s latest coup with flights starting in June (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
In 2016, SFO keeps up the momentum:
- March – United Airlines begins nonstop service to Tel Aviv
- May – Air Berlin launches with nonstops to Düsseldorf, Germany
- May – United Airlines begins new nonstop flights to Xi’an, China (Plus there are rumors of a new United nonstop SFO to Hangzhou)
- June – United Airlines begins the first U.S. nonstop flight to Singapore
- June – WOW Air launches nonstop flights to Reykjavík, Iceland
- June – Fiji Airways inaugurates nonstop service to Nadi, Fiji
It’s not just SFO that is growing by leaps and bounds…so are other Bay Area airports. For example, San Jose International has recently snagged (or has pending) new 787-9 nonstops to London (British Airways), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Beijing (Hainan) and Shanghai (Air China) in addition to its ANA nonstop service to Tokyo.
Norwegian Air flies 787 Dreamliners to Oakland International (Image: Oakland International Airport)
Oakland is on a growth spurt, too, with its major international carrier, Norwegian Air adding nonstops to London-Gatwick this June in addition to its flights to Stockholm, Sweden, and Oslo.
All this new competition is very good news for frequent flyers. That’s because more flights and more seats usually mean cheaper fares.
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On a recent flight home, the plane landed at SFO and a fellow passenger pointed to the new SFO air traffic control tower and snarked, “It looks like an exhibitionist opening his raincoat.”
I’ll never be able to look at that tower again without cringing. Although from a side angle it looks more like Bela Lugosi holding up his Dracula cape. I sometimes wonder whether 21st-century buildings are more beautiful than the brutalist architecture of the previous century.
But I won’t hold my breath for lower fares from the Bay Area. When I go international now, I sometimes scoot out to a cheaper airport for an overnight visit and then depart from there. I’ve saved a lot of money.
Not sure about the “cheaper fares” notion. SJC SFO-TYO non-stops were running $1200 to $1400 in May when the blogosphere was screaming about $500 RTs to Japan. Turns out to get the $500/$700 you’ll need to connect somewhere.