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San Francisco’s new $2.5 billion airport terminal

SFO Terminal 1

Rendering of SFO Terminal 1 to be complete by 2024 (Image: SFO)

Today San Francisco International Airport officially launched the much needed, long anticipated renovation/replacement of its aging Terminal 1, from which Southwest Airlines currently operates.

Today also marked the last public appearance of long-time airport director John Martin who retires next month. In his remarks, Martin got a big chuckle from the crowd (including SF mayor Ed Lee) when he recalled his first ever trip to SFO for a job interview saying,  “I flew into Terminal 1 on World Airways, and while I was excited to be there, I thought the place looked like a bus terminal. I’m very pleased to see it go.”

To celebrate the kick off of the project, Martin, Lee and other dignitaries whacked at a Terminal 1 column with shiny new sledgehammers.

Instead of shovels, dignitaries used sledgehammers at SFO event. Interim terminal construction in background (Chris McGinnis)

Instead of shovels, dignitaries used sledgehammers at SFO event. Interim terminal construction in background (Chris McGinnis)

The $2.4 billion terminal will be completed in phases over the next eight years. The first phase will be to demolish much of what’s there while preserving a sliver of the current structure as the “Interim Boarding Area B” where Southwest will continue to operate from 9 temporary gates during the renewal. From what I could tell, the interim terminal layout it identical to the old, but will be updated with new carpet and mod egg chairs. (This is where the event was held today.) By 2019, there will be 17 new gates in operation.

Rendering of what Southwest's Interim Terminal B gates will look like (SFO)

Rendering of what Southwest’s Interim Terminal B gates will look like (SFO) CLICK for 360 degree view

SEE: 3D view of interim Terminal B 

SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told TravelSkills: “In September, Southwest will shift from their existing gates to newly-developed gates 23-28. These gates will have all-new materials and finishes, in line with Terminal 2 or Terminal 3 East. This move allows work to begin on the permanent new Boarding Area B, which will be built around the gates Southwest is using right now.”

When it’s complete, the new Terminal 1 Boarding Area B will be bigger, brighter and designed to look and feel like the popular Terminal 2 (Virgin America & American) or United’s newest Terminal 3 Boarding Area E.

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SFO Terminal 1

SFO’s new terminal 1 will connect to the International Terminal (to the left) and to Delta’s Boarding Area C (to the right). It will also accommodate overflow from international terminal.

Upon completion, Boarding Area B will feature a total of 24 gates, including six gates which can accommodate international arrivals by providing direct access to the U.S. Customs & Border Protections Federal Inspection Area.  Connecting walkways located post-security will provide easy access to International Boarding Area A and Boarding Area C (Delta), which has a new behind-security corridor to Terminal 2. Eventually, another behind-security corridor will connect T2 with United’s Terminal 3 although there’s no firm date for when that project will launch.

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All good… but it is going to take a while! Here’s the phasing schedule:

September 2016:    Interim Boarding Area B opens with 9 gates

December 2018:     New Boarding Area B opens with 9 gates

June 2019:             New Boarding Area expands to 17 gates

September 2020:    New Boarding Area B reaches full capacity of 24 gates

Mid-2024:              Terminal 1 Center, refreshed Boarding Area C complete

For more information, please visit: www.flysfo.com/about-sfo/airport-development/t1

 –Chris McGinnis

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Comments

  2. Sorry, I meant the FOURTH picture, the exterior shot. Looks like nothing but a square box. How can that cost $2.5bn? How does Calgary’s new international terminal (which is massive, light, airy, glass abounds) only cost C$1.6bn (approx US$1.2bn)? London, one of the most expensive places on earth, built LHR terminal 2 two years ago for £2.2bn (which is approx $3bn), and yes, that is slightly more, but that terminal is HUGE, very open, most walls are glass curtain walls, and it caters massively to international traffic (which requires much more infrastructure). What is happening? How can other countries that have, arguably, higher costs due to much stricter labor laws, manage to get so much more for their investment? The architects get paid tens of millions of $ and this is what they come up with… ”Designing” a square box that looks like the back of a shopping mall is simply not good enough.

  3. So, even more frequent flight volume for the already-stressed runways? Isn’t that the bottleneck @SFO?

  4. I don’t think we can even predict which airlines will exist when this thing is complete (given the mergers, etc going on). I think it’s safe to say that United will not use this terminal, since they are pretty set on the other side of the airport. Apart from that, I think anything could happen.

  5. so someday all of their terminals will finally connect so u do not have to go thru SECURITY TSA finally EIGHT (8) YEARS TO GO TO FIX IT and tons of $$$$$$$ some contractors will be really weathy…… NUTS!!! but its the government!!!!!

  6. If you read the caption under the “third” picture it states “Rendering of what Southwest’s Interim Terminal B gates will look like (SFO)” so, it is the temporary terminal. No need to worry.

  7. I’m guessing that the third image of the concourse is either the exterior of the temporary boarding area or else some sort of joke right?? A monkey can design a square box like that. Why do US terminals have to be so UGLY? Why? Always a square box with minimal windows. How can it cost $2.5 billion to get that? There is no architectural flair whatsoever. The first image at the top (as well as previously released renderings) show a world class design. The third image here shows a utilitarian, ugly design that should not cost more than a few hundred million at most. This is the same case as T5 at JFK, have you seen it from the outside? Ugly, ugly, ugly. And based on this picture, it seems that this is going to be another good ol US concourse cookie cutter design inside too: long corridors with clerestory windows, with columns and columns and more columns everywhere, and somewhere behind these columns will be hidden the gate holdrooms under low ceilings with minimal windows. Same story as the Detroit North Terminal, but at least that cost less than $500m. Why can the architects not design a good terminal in the US? The only one I can think of that competes globally would be Indianapolis, but that is a tiny airport anyway. Another waste, the architect must be laughing all the way to the bank as all he had to do was… Nothing. The common thread seems to be Gensler here in all cases.

  9. It’s a good thing they’re investing in revamping the terminals.

    At least the passengers will be comfortable during the inevitable delays any time there is a hint of fog or precipitation around SFO, and its runways go into reduced capacity mode, LOL.

  11. I don’t think DL actually pushed for the T2 link (I certainly don’t think they were desperate about it). That was just SFO working towards its plan to connect all the boarding areas

  16. Kinda strange, that rendering very clearly shows 2 A380s at terminal 1, yet there are no plans for an international arrivals facility. So the airport seems to think that we’ll have domestic A380 flights in the next few years. I doubt it

  17. Mid-2024: Terminal 1 Center, refreshed Boarding Area C complete

    No wonder Delta was desperate for that walkway to Terminal 2!

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