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San Francisco International Airport

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"SFO" redirects here. For other uses, see SFO (disambiguation).
This article is about the airport. For the BART Station servicing the airport, see San Francisco International Airport (BART station). For the television series, see San Francisco International Airport (TV series).

San Francisco International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerSan Francisco Airport Commission
ServesSan Francisco
LocationSan Mateo County (unincorporated)
Hub for
Elevation AMSL13 ft / 4 m
WebsiteFlySFO.com
Maps
A map with a grid overlay showing the terminals runways and other structures of the airport.
FAA airport diagram
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 526: Unable to find the specified location map definition: "Module:Location map/data/San Francisco" does not exist.
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10L/28R 11,870 3,618 Asphalt
10R/28L 10,602 3,231 Asphalt
1R/19L 8,648 2,636 Asphalt
1L/19R 7,500 2,286 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Aircraft operations424,566
Passengers44,477,209

San Francisco International Airport (IATA: SFO, ICAO: KSFO, FAA LID: SFO) is a major international airport located 13 miles (21 km) south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County.[3] It is often referred to as SFO (from "San FranciscO"). The airport has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe and Asia.

It is the largest airport in the San Francisco Bay Area and the second busiest airport in California after Los Angeles International Airport. In 2009 San Francisco International Airport was the tenth busiest in the United States[4] and the twentieth largest airport in the world,[5] by passenger count. It is the fifth largest hub of United Airlines. It also serves as Virgin America's principal base of operations.[6] It is the sole maintenance hub of United Airlines. SFO has numerous passenger amenities, including a range of food and drink establishments, shopping, baggage storage, public showers, a medical clinic, and assistance for lost or stranded travelers and military personnel. It has the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library, and permanent and temporary art exhibitions in several places in the terminals. Free Wi-Fi is available to the public in most of the terminal area.[7]

Although located in San Mateo County, SFO is owned by the City and County of San Francisco. SFO Enterprises Inc. was created by the San Francisco Airport Commission to oversee its business purchases and operations of ventures such as owning Honduran airports.[8][9][10][11]

History

The airport opened on May 7, 1927[12] on 150 acres (61 ha) of cow pasture. The land was leased from prominent local landowner Ogden L. Mills, (who had leased it from his grandfather Darius O. Mills) and was named Mills Field Municipal Airport. It remained Mills Field until 1931 when it became San Francisco Municipal Airport. "Municipal" was replaced by "International" in 1955.

United Airlines used Mills Field as well as the Oakland Municipal Airport starting in the 1930s.[13] The March 1939 Official Aviation Guide shows 18 airline departures on weekdays— seventeen United and one TWA. 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)

After the war United Airlines used the Pan Am terminal 37°38′05″N 122°23′24″W / 37.6347°N 122.39°W / 37.6347; -122.39 for its DC-6 flights to Hawaii starting in 1947. SFO is now one of five United Airlines hubs and their largest maintenance facility.

In 1954 the airport's Central Passenger Terminal opened.[14] (It was heavily rebuilt into the international terminal c. 1984, then re-rebuilt into present Terminal 2.) The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 71 scheduled weekday departures on United (plus ten flights a week to Honolulu), 22 on Western, 19 on Southwest, 12 on TWA, 7 American and 3 PSA. Pan American had 21 departures a week, Japan Air had 5 and QANTAS had 5. Jet flights at SFO began in March 1959, with TWA 707-131s; United built a large maintenance facility at San Francisco for its new Douglas DC-8s. In July 1959 the first jetway bridge was installed, one of the first in the United States.

The first international nonstops were ANA/BCPA DC-4s to Vancouver in 1946-47; the first nonstops to the East Coast were United DC-7s in 1954. TWA's L1649 nonstops to Europe started in 1957 and Pan Am tried to fly 707-320s nonstop Tokyo to SFO starting 1960-61 (the westward nonstops had to await the 707-320B).

The airport closed following the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989, reopening the following morning.[15] It suffered some damage to runways.

Operations, expansion, retreat, and recovery

In 1989 a master plan and Environmental Impact Report were prepared to guide development over the next two decades.[16][verification needed] 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.[5]

The building of an airport at night with a large central building with several lit spokes of the terminals.
San Francisco International Airport at night
San Francisco International Terminal at night

SFO has expanded continuously through the decades. Most recently a new $1 billion international terminal opened in December 2000, replacing Terminal 2 as the international terminal.[14] This new terminal contains a world-class aviation library and museum.[17] SFO’s long-running program of cultural exhibits, now called the San Francisco Airport Museums, won unprecedented accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 1999.[18]

A long-planned extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system to the airport opened on June 22, 2003, allowing passengers to board trains at the airport's international terminal to San Francisco or points in the East Bay.[19] In 2003, the AirTrain shuttle system opened, transporting passengers between terminals, parking lots, the SFO BART station, and the rental car center on small automatic trains.

SFO experiences significant delays (known as flow control) in adverse weather, when only two of the airport's four runways can be used at a time, due to the lateral separation of only 750 feet (230 m) between centerlines of the parallel pairs of runways. Airport planners have floated proposals to extend the airport's runways further into San Francisco Bay in order to accommodate the large number of arrivals and departures during low-visibility conditions. To expand further 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, to shift service to the other Bay Area airports at Oakland and San Jose.

Since the mid-2000s, recovery at SFO has been evident. SFO has become the base of operations for start-up airline Virgin America, with service to over 15 destinations. In June 2010, Swiss International Airlines began service from San Francisco to Zurich Airport. In July 2012, United Airlines announced resumption of flights to Taipei and Paris. In April 2013 Scandinavian Airlines plans to launch a new non-stop route to Copenhagen. In August 2012, China Eastern Airlines announced non-stop service to Shanghai starting in 2013. SFO set a record of 41 million passengers in 2011, and surpassed it with 44.5 million in 2012.[20]

The FAA has warned that the airport's control tower would be unable to withstand a major earthquake and has requested that it be replaced. On July 9, 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony for the airport's new air traffic control tower took place. The new tower, which will be situated between terminals 1 and 2, is to be shaped like a torch and be completed in fall of 2015.[21]

SFO was one of several US airports which operated the Registered Traveler program from April 2007 until funding ended in June 2009, which had allowed travelers to pass through security checkpoints quickly.[22][23] Baggage and passenger screening is operated by Covenant Aviation Security, a TSA 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 in the post-9/11 era.[18]

On October 4, 2007 an Airbus A380 jumbo jet made its first visit and test flight to the airport.[24]

On July 14, 2008 SFO was voted Best International Airport in North America for 2008 in the World Airports Survey by Skytrax.[25] 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.[26]

During the summer of 2011, Lufthansa & Air France were the only carriers using the Airbus A380 at SFO, albeit seasonally. As of Autumn 2011, only Lufthansa has indicated that it will bring back the A380 as a summer seasonal service. Emirates had indicated that it would like to fly the A380 to SFO when they receive lighter versions of the jumbo jet with more range. Singapore Airlines has announced it will fly the A380 seasonally on the Singapore-Hong Kong-SFO route, which started December 28 and continued until March 24th, where it went back to a Boeing 777-300ER until next December.[27]

Aircraft noise abatement

See also: Noise mitigation and Aircraft noise

SFO was one of the first airports to implement a Fly Quiet Program which grades individual air carriers 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 individual airlines to operate as quietly as possible at SFO. The program promotes a participatory approach in complying with the noise abatement procedures.

SFO was also 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 in the vicinity of the airport, or more particularly homes within the 65 CNEL noise contour surface. The program made use of a noise computer model to predict improvement in specific residential interiors for a variety of different noise control strategies. This pilot program was conducted for a neighborhood in the city of South San Francisco, and success was achieved in all of the homes analyzed. The construction costs turned out to be modest, and the post-construction interior sound level tests confirmed the model predictions for noise abatement. To date over $153 million has been spent to insulate in excess of 15,000 homes throughout the neighboring cities of Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno, and South San Francisco.[28]

Terminals

Terminal map of SFO
Interior view of Terminal 2
Interior of Boarding Area C in Terminal 1
View of Boarding Area D in Terminal 2
Interior view of the International Terminal Check In Area

The airport has four terminals (1, 2, 3, and International) and seven concourses (A through G) arranged in a 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.

Terminal 1

Formerly known as the South Terminal has 33 gates, Terminal 1 has Boarding Area B (including gates 20-23, 24A-24B, 25-31, 32A-32B-32C, 33-35, 36A-36B, 37-39) and Boarding Area C (gates 40-48). A third boarding area, Rotunda A, was demolished in 2007. The first version of the terminal, which cost $14 million,[29] opened in 1963 and Rotunda A opened in 1974. The terminal was designed by Welton Becket and Associates.[30] The terminal underwent a $150 million renovation designed by Howard A. Friedman and Associates,[31] Marquis Associates and Wong & Brocchini[32] that was completed in 1988.

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[33][34] and was closed for indefinite renovation when the current international terminal opened in 2000. Its only concourse is Boarding Area D that 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.[35] The newly renovated terminal also designed by Gensler features permanent art installations from Janet Echelman, Kendall Buster, Norie Sato, Charles Sowers, and Walter Kitundu.[33][36] Terminal 2 set accolades by being the first U.S. airport to achieve LEED Gold status.[37] The terminal reopened on April 14, 2011, with Virgin America and American Airlines sharing the new 14-gate common-use facility.[38][39]

Terminal 3

Formerly known as the North Terminal, Terminal 3 has Boarding Area E (gates 60–60A, 61, 62A–B, 63, 64–64A, 65–65A, 66–66A, 67) and Boarding Area F has 26 gates (gates 68–72, 73–73A, 74–76, 77A–77B, 78–86, 87–87A, 88–90). This $82.44 million terminal designed by San Francisco Airport Architects (a joint venture of John Carl Warneeke and Associates, Dreyfus and Blackford, and minority architects)[40] is now used only by United Airlines.[41] Boarding area F opened in 1979 and area E opened in 1981. Boarding Area E is presently closed for refurbishment, eventually SFO will move the other North American Star Alliance carriers, Air Canada and US Airways to Terminal 3 once Boarding Area E is refurbished by the end of 2013.[42] The project will "move one (1) gate from Terminal 3 on to Boarding Area E to provide a total of ten aircraft parking positions".[43] 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.[44]

International Terminal

SFO's international terminal was designed by Craig W. Hartman of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and opened in December 2000 to replace International Departures from 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.[45] Food service focuses on quick service versions of leading Bay Area restaurants, following other SFO terminals. Planners attempted to make the airport a destination in and of itself, not just for travelers that are passing through.[46] The international terminal is a common use facility, with all gates and all ticketing areas shared among the international airlines. All international arrivals and departures are handled here (except flights from cities with customs preclearance). The BART train station is located in this terminal, at 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 two jetway bridges with the exception of gates A2 and A10, which have one. Gates A1, A3, and A11 are capable of accommodating two aircraft. Six gates are specifically designed for the Airbus A380, making SFO one of the first airports in the world with such gates when it was constructed in 2000.[47] Gates A9 (9A,9B,9C) and G101 (101A,101B,101C) have three jetways for boarding.[48] Four other gates have two jetways fitted for the A380.

For lack of space, the terminal was constructed on top of the airport's main access road at enormous expense, completing the continuous "ring" of terminals. The terminal required its own elaborate set of ramps to connect it with Highway 101. The design and construction of the international terminal is owed to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Del Campo & Maru Architects, Michael Willis Associates (main terminal building), Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum (Boarding Area G), and Gerson/Overstreet Architects (Boarding Area A).[45] The contracts were awarded after an architectural design competition. If all gates in an airlines' designated international boarding area are full, passengers will board or deplane from the opposite international boarding area.

All SkyTeam, Oneworld and non-aligned international carriers aside from EVA Air operate from Boarding Area A (gates A1–A10, A11–A11A, A12). TACA Airlines, Asiana, and Air Canada are the only Star Alliance carriers that use Boarding Area A. EVA Air is the non-aligned carrier not using Boarding Area A.

All international Star Alliance members aside from Air Canada (some flights), Asiana, and TACA use Boarding Area G (gates G91, G92–G92A, G93–G98, G99–G99A, G100, G101–G101A, G102), as well as non-aligned EVA Air. In 2010, some United domestic flights now utilize the Area G, as shown in the table below.

Domestic flights from the airlines JetBlue Airways, Sun Country Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines also operate from the International Terminal, using boarding area A.

Airlines and destinations

  • Note: All international arrivals (except flights from customs preclearance) are handled at the International Terminal (Boarding Areas A and G).
AirlinesDestinationsTerminal/Boarding Area
Aeroméxico Mexico City I-A
Air Canada Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver
Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau 		I-A, I-G, 3-E (from late 2013)
Air China Beijing-Capital I-G
Air France Paris-Charles de GaulleI-A
Air New Zealand Auckland I-G
AirTran Airways
operated by Southwest Airlines 		Atlanta, Orange County 1-B
Alaska Airlines Palm Springs, Portland (OR), Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo, Seattle/Tacoma 1-B
Alaska Airlines
operated by Horizon Air 		Portland (OR) 1-B
All Nippon Airways Tokyo-Narita I-G
American Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK 2-D
Asiana Airlines Seoul-Incheon I-A, I-G
British Airways London-Heathrow I-A
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong I-A
China Airlines Taipei-Taoyuan I-A
China Eastern Airlines Shanghai-Pudong I-A
Delta Air Lines Tokyo-Narita I-A
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City 1-C
Delta Connection
operated by SkyWest Airlines 		Los Angeles, Salt Lake City 1-C
Emirates Dubai I-A
EVA Air Taipei-Taoyuan I-G
Frontier Airlines Denver 1-C
Hawaiian Airlines Honolulu I-A
Japan Airlines Tokyo-Haneda I-A
JetBlue Airways Austin, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Long Beach, New York-JFK I-A
KLM Amsterdam I-A
Korean Air Seoul-Incheon I-A
LAN Perú Lima I-A
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich I-G
Philippine Airlines Manila I-A
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen I-G
Singapore Airlines Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore I-G
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Chicago-Midway, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Orange County, Phoenix, San Diego 1-B
Sun Country Airlines Minneapolis/St. Paul I-A
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich I-G
TACA Airlines San Salvador I-A
United Airlines Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Las Vegas, Lihue, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, New York-JFK, Newark, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, Reno/Tahoe, San Diego, St. Louis, Seattle/Tacoma, Vancouver, Washington-Dulles, Washington-National
Seasonal: Anchorage, Salt Lake City 		1-B, 3-E (from Late 2013), 3-F, I-G
United Airlines Beijing-Capital, Cancún, Frankfurt, Guadalajara, Hong Kong, London-Heathrow, Mexico City, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Sydney, Taipei-Taoyuan (resumes March 31, 2014),[49] Tokyo-Narita
Seasonal: Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo 		I-G
United Express
operated by SkyWest Airlines 		Albuquerque, Austin, Bakersfield, Boise, Calgary, Chico, Colorado Springs, Crescent City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Edmonton, Eugene, Eureka/Arcata, Fresno, Idaho Falls, Kansas City, Klamath Falls, Medford, Modesto, Monterey, North Bend, Oklahoma City, Palm Springs, Pasco, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Redding, Redmond/Bend, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara,[50] Seattle/Tacoma, Spokane, Tucson, Vancouver, Victoria
Seasonal: Aspen, Bozeman, Jackson Hole, Mammoth Lakes, Missoula 		1-B, 3-E (from Late 2013), 3-F
US Airways Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix 1-B, 3-E (from late 2013)
Virgin America Austin (begins May 21, 2013),[51] Boston, Cancún, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York-JFK, Newark, Orlando (ends July 16, 2013),[52] Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San José del Cabo, Seattle/Tacoma, Washington-Dulles, Washington-National
Seasonal: Anchorage (begins June 6, 2013),[51] Palm Springs 		2-D
Virgin Atlantic Airways London-Heathrow I-A
WestJet Seasonal: Calgary, Vancouver I-A
XL Airways France Seasonal: Paris-Charles de Gaulle[53] I-A

Top destinations

Airliners waiting for takeoff, SFO Runways 1L and 1R
United Airlines planes parked at the International Terminal
The International Terminal
Busiest International Routes to and from San Francisco
(2011)[54][55]
Rank Airport Passengers Change
2010/2011 		Carriers
1 United Kingdom London (Heathrow), United Kingdom 901,959 Increase07.2% British Airways, United, Virgin Atlantic
2 Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong 887,658 Decrease01.6% Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, United
3 South Korea Seoul (Incheon), South Korea 646,891 Increase011.3% Asiana, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, United
4 Germany Frankfurt, Germany 595,306 Increase010.7% Lufthansa, United
5 Japan Tokyo (Narita), Japan 546,837 Decrease022.4% All Nippon Airways, Delta, United
Busiest Domestic Routes from SFO (January–December 2012)[56]
Rank City Passengers Top Carriers
1 Los Angeles, California 1,716,000 American, Delta, Southwest, United, Virgin America
2 Chicago (O'Hare), Illinois 1,126,000 American, United, Virgin America
3 New York (JFK), New York 1,116,000 American, Delta, JetBlue, United, Virgin America
4 Las Vegas, Nevada 855,000 Southwest, United, Virgin America
5 Denver, Colorado 791,000 Frontier, Southwest, United
6 Seattle, Washington 755,000 Alaska, United, Virgin America
7 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 738,000 American, United, Virgin America
8 San Diego, California 733,000 Southwest, United, Virgin America
9 Washington (Dulles), DC 619,000 United, Virgin America
10 Boston, Massachusetts 556,000 JetBlue, United, Virgin America
Traffic by Calendar Year[57][58]
Year Rank Passengers Change Aircraft Movements Cargo (Metric Tons)
1998 40,101,387 432,046 598,579
1999 40,387,538 Increase 0.7% 438,685 655,409
2000 9 41,048,996 Increase 1.8% 429,222 695,258
2001 14 34,632,474 Decrease -15.6% 387,594 517,124
2002 19 31,450,168 Decrease -9.2% 351,453 506,083
2003 22 29,313,271 Decrease -6.8% 334,515 483,413
2004 21 32,744,186 Increase 8.8% 353,231 489,776
2005 23 33,394,225 Increase 2.0% 352,871 520,386
2006 26 33,581,412 Increase 0.5% 359,201 529,303
2007 23 35,790,746 Increase 6.6% 379,500 503,899
2008 21 37,402,541 Increase 4.5% 387,710 429,912
2009 20 37,453,634 Increase 0.1% 379,751 356,266
2010 23 39,391,234 Increase 5.2% 387,248 384,179
2011 22 41,045,431 Increase 4.2% 403,564 340,766
2012 22 44,477,209 Increase 8.4% 424,566 337,357

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
ABX Air[59] Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Los Angeles
Air France Cargo Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Asiana Cargo[60] Seoul-Incheon
British Airways World Cargo Hong Kong, London-Heathrow
Cathay Pacific Cargo Anchorage, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston-Intercontinental, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Vancouver
China Airlines Cargo[61] Anchorage, Boston, Los Angeles, Taipei-Taoyuan
DHL Aviation[59] Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Los Angeles
EVA Air Cargo[62] Anchorage, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Taipei-Taoyuan
FedEx Express Memphis
KLM Cargo Amsterdam
Korean Air Cargo[63] Miami, Seoul-Incheon
Martinair Cargo Amsterdam
Lufthansa Cargo[64] Frankfurt, Los Angeles
Nippon Cargo Airlines Tokyo-Narita
Polar Air Cargo Anchorage, Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York-JFK, Seoul-Incheon
Singapore Airlines Cargo Singapore
Southern Air Anchorage, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Seoul-Incheon
UPS Airlines Louisville
World Airways[65] Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, Seoul-Incheon

Ground transportation

AirTrain

Main article: AirTrain (SFO)

AirTrain is the airport's 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.[66]

Rail

BART

Main article: San Francisco International Airport (BART station)

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. As of September 14, 2009, 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.[67] Caltrain used to offer a free shuttle to SFO airport from the Millbrae station,[68] but it was replaced by the priced BART service when the BART SFO extension was completed. Alternatively, SamTrans buses (see below) provide cheaper connections (compared to BART) to various Caltrain stations.

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 three lines, 292, 397, and KX, connecting Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and the International Terminal to Downtown San Francisco and the Peninsula down to Palo Alto. SamTrans Route 292 and Route KX serve the Airport during morning, daytime, and evening hours while Route 397 serves the Airport during nighttime hours as a part of the SamTrans "All Nighter" service.[69]

Numerous door-to-door van, airporter, limousine, hotel courtesy, and charter operators service the airport. Taxis, along with the aforementioned services, stop at the center island transportation island on the arrivals/baggage claim level of the airport.

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.

SFO with US 101 in the background

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.[70]

Passengers can also park long-term at a select number of BART stations that have parking lots, with a permit purchased online in advance.[71]

Taxi

Taxis depart from designated taxi zones located at the roadway center islands, on the Arrivals/Baggage Claim Level of all terminals.[72]

Other facilities

Currently Nippon Cargo Airlines has its San Francisco branch on the airport property.[73]

Prior to its dissolution, Pacific Air Lines had its corporate headquarters on the grounds of the airport.[74] Prior to its dissolution, Hughes Airwest also had its headquarters on the grounds of San Francisco International.[75]

Accidents and incidents at or near SFO

The top of a fire damaged airplane with several holes burnt through the top.
A fire-damaged ABX Air Boeing 767 at SFO
  • On October 29, 1953 British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines flight 304 a Douglas DC-6 en route from Sydney, Australia with fuel stops in Auckland, New Zealand, Fiji, and Honolulu crashed on approach to SFO into Kings Mountain in San Mateo County. All 19 passengers and crew died.
  • On May 7, 1964 Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 crashed near San Ramon, California when a suicidal passenger shot both of the pilots, and then himself, causing the plane to dive out of control. All 44 aboard the Fairchild F-27 turboprop were killed when the aircraft dove into a hillside at a nearly 90 degree angle.
  • On December 24, 1964, Flying Tiger Line Flight 282, a Lockheed Constellation cargo aircraft departing for New York City, crashed in the hills west of the airport, killing all three crewmembers on board.[76]
  • On November 22, 1968, a Japan Air Lines DC-8, named the Shiga, operating Flight 2, crash landed on final approach at 9:30 a.m. on a shallow underwater reef at the eastern tip of Coyote Point (three miles short of the runway southeast of the airport). The plane was on a trip from Tokyo to SFO, after making a stop in Honolulu. The pilot was experienced, but apparently misread the instruments on the DC-8, which was less than a year old. There were 107 people on the plane. There were no deaths or serious injuries. The plane was salvaged by Bigge Drayage Company soon after the crash. All luggage and fuel were removed to cut the weight and the plane was lifted onto a barge and taken to the airport for repairs. The cost of repairs was $4 million and the plane re-entered service the following April.
  • On July 30, 1971, Pan Am Flight 845, a Boeing 747 (registration: N747PA, name: Clipper America), struck navigational aids at the end of runway 1R on takeoff for Tokyo. The aircraft's landing gear and other systems were damaged. Two passengers were seriously injured by metal components of the runway approach light pier entering the cabin. The flight proceeded out over the Pacific Ocean to dump fuel in order to reduce weight for an emergency landing. Emergency services were deployed at the airport, and the plane returned and landed on runway 28R. During landing the aircraft veered off the runway. There was no fire. After coming to a stop, the aircraft slowly tilted aft, coming to rest on its tail in a nose-high attitude. The forward evacuation slides were therefore in a nearly vertical position. Evacuation using these slides caused all of the additional injuries, some severe. There were no fatalities among the 218 passengers and crew aboard. An investigation determined the cause of the accident to be erroneous information from the flight dispatcher to the crew regarding weight and runway length.[77]
  • On June 28, 2008, an ABX Air Boeing 767 preparing to depart with cargo caught fire and was seriously damaged. The pilots escaped uninjured. The airline had received a threat the week before, but thus far investigations have revealed no evidence of any malicious device on board.[78][needs update]
  • The climax of the Steve McQueen movie Bullitt was filmed at the airport.[79]
  • The short-lived television series San Francisco International Airport (1970) was set at the airport.
  • In the Dale Brown novel Storming Heaven, the airport is subject to a massive terror attack when Belgian international terrorist Henri Cazaux in an L-610 cargo plane loaded with explosives violates the Class C, B and A airspace (in that order) while being pursued by an F-16 fighter. He parachutes out of the plane, but not before commanding another pilot to fly into the terminal building. The attack almost completely obliterates the main terminal and kills thousands, and leads to protagonist Ian Hardcastle to install anti-aircraft missile batteries around civilian airports should another attack occur.
  • Dirty Harry foils a hijacking at the airport in 1973's Magnum Force.
  • The airport was featured in the opening of the 1997 comedy film Home Alone 3 when Mrs. Hess (played by Marian Seldes) accidentally took the bag with the remote control car of the antagonists.
  • The 2008 film Four Christmases includes a scene where Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn attempt to fly out of SFO, but are thwarted by the fog.
  • The airport was featured in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as San Fierro International Airport it was called as Easter Bay International Airport.
  • The opening scene of My Name is Khan features the Airport.
  • The ending scene of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes features hundreds of people evacuating the city as a deadly virus spreads throughout San Francisco
  • The destination of the principal aircraft in the film The High and the Mighty, a Douglas DC-4, is the airport. The film's climax takes place there, but was filmed in Burbank, California.
  • The prologue stage and the first area of the first stage of the 2006 first person shooter Time Crisis 4 takes place in the airport.

See also

References

  1. ^ "SFO – San Francisco International Airport". San Francisco International Airport. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  2. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for SFO PDF, effective December 20, 2007
  3. ^ "San Francisco International Airport". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  4. ^ "San Francisco breaks into US top 10; seven of top 20 airports still reported growth in 2008". Anna Aero. PPS Publications Ltd. March 13, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Year to date Passenger Traffic – April 2009". Airport Councils International. July 16, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  6. ^ "About Us". Virgin America. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Free Wi-Fi at SFO". San Francisco Airport Commission. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Smith, Matt (March 28, 2001). "Flying Blind". SF Weekly. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  9. ^ "Financial Audits". City and County of San Francisco. January 22, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  10. ^ "SFO Enterprises, Inc". SF Weekly. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  11. ^ The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein; pg. 396.
  12. ^ "Mills Field Memories, Part 2: An Air Port for San Francisco" (PDF). Update, SFO’s Community Newsletter. 4 (1). San Francisco International Airport: 4–5. Spring 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  13. ^ United Airlines timetables: June 15, 1931; June 20, 1933; June 1, 1935; February 1, 1937; June 1, 1937. Airline Timetable Images. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  14. ^ a b Wilson, Marshall (December 4, 2000). "A Guide to the New International Wing". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. pp. A–1. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  15. ^ Roderick, Kevin (October 19, 1989). "Search For Bodies to Take Days—State Puts Toll at 273, Then Says It Is Uncertain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
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  17. ^ "San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library & Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum". San Francisco Airport Museums. San Francisco Airport Commission. July 23, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  18. ^ a b Sanburn, Curt (2006). "Top Flight". Hana Hou!. 9 (6). Hawaiian Airlines. Retrieved August 3, 2009. In 1999, SFO's long-running program of cultural exhibits won unprecedented accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. Now called the San Francisco Airport Museums, the program lines up a non-stop—and uniquely oddball—series of rotating shows. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ Cabantuan, Michael (June 22, 2003). "History is Here – New Line Creates Transit Hub, Link to Future". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. pp. A–1. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
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  23. ^ "Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available". Clear. Verified Identity Pass, Inc. June 25, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  24. ^ Raine, George (October 5, 2007). "Airbus Jumbo Jet Makes Test Landing at SFO". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. pp. C–1. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  25. ^ "Airport of the Year 2008: Regional Results". Airport of the Year 2008. Skytrax Research. July 28, 2008. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  26. ^ "Airport of the Year 2009: Regional Results". Airport of the Year 2009. Skytrax Research. June 9, 2009. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  27. ^ "Singapore Airlines W12 Operation Changes as of 24JUL12". Airlineroute.net. July 24, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  28. ^ "Residential Sound Insulation Program". SFO – Aircraft Noise Abatement Office. BridgeNet International. September 1, 2009. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ San Francisco Public Library - Bay Region Business
  30. ^ "Projects Slated at SF Airport". Los Angeles Times. July 13, 1958. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  31. ^ Friedman, Howard A.; Reitherman, Robert. Successful Architecture: Selected Works and Thought of Howard A. Friedman. H. Friedman Family. p. 66. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  32. ^ Tabular LT Institutional Facilities
  33. ^ a b A First Look at SFO's New Terminal 2
  34. ^ "San Francisco International Airport Competition Plan" (PDF). San Francisco International Airport. August 8, 2000. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  35. ^ Manekin, Michael (July 8, 2008). "SFO Brings Ghost Terminal Back From the Dead". San Mateo County Times. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  36. ^ Five New Public Artworks to Debut at San Francisco International Airport’s New Terminal 2
  37. ^ Defence Security Report
  38. ^ SFO's Terminal 2 Set to Open in April and Focuses on Sustainability
  39. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  40. ^ "Airport Undergoes Marathon Expansion". Engineering News-Record. 200 (1). McGraw-Hill: 18. 1978. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  41. ^ Minutes. San Francisco Airport Commission, February 18, 2010, retrieved May 16, 2011 (PDF file)
  42. ^ "Minutes May 15, 2012" (PDF). San Francisco Airport Commission. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  43. ^ "San Francisco International Airport Boarding Area E". City and County of San Francisco. March 19, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  44. ^ "FY14/15 Five-Year Capital Plan" (PDF). San Francisco Airport Commission. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  45. ^ a b "Fact Sheet – International Terminal" (PDF). San Francisco International Airport. January 30, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  46. ^ Armstrong, David (October 7, 2003). "Terminal Gastronomy – New Plan Brings Icons of the Bay Area's Food-Loving Culture to the S.F. Airport". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. pp. B–1. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  47. ^ Armstrong, David (July 15, 2004). "Super-Size Skies – SFO Says It's Ready for a 555-Person Plane Arriving in 2006". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. pp. C–1. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  48. ^ . May 9, 2011 http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Giant-A380-jetliner-proves-SFO-planners-were-right-2371963.php#photo-1899699. Retrieved March 21, 2013. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  49. ^ "United Airlines postpones plans to resume Taiwan flights". Taiwan News. April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  50. ^ http://www.united.com/CMS/UADocuments/pdfs/timetable.pdf
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  52. ^ "Virgin America Route Map". Virgin America. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  53. ^ "Summer 2012: XL Airways France Will Launch San Francisco (translated)". TourMag. November 16, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  54. ^ "U.S. International Air Passenger and Freight Statistics Report" (PDF). Office of Aviation Analysis, U.S. Department of Transportation. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  55. ^ "Airlines Serving SFO". FlySFO. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  56. ^ RITA | BTS | Transtats
  57. ^ "Air Traffic Statistics". San Francisco Airport Commission. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  58. ^ Ranking from: World's busiest airports by passenger traffic
  59. ^ a b "ABX Air". Retrieved March 24, 2013.
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  61. ^ "China Airlines Cargo Schedule". Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  62. ^ "EVA Air Cargo Schedule". Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  63. ^ "Korean Air Cargo Schedule". Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  64. ^ "Lufthansa Cargo Scheduel". Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  65. ^ "World Airways Cargo". Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  66. ^ "Airtrain FAQ". San Francisco Airport Commission. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
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  68. ^ Archived 2003-12-11 at the Wayback Machine[dead link‍]
  69. ^ "Public Transit". San Francisco Airport Commission. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  70. ^ SFO - San Francisco International Airport - Parking
  71. ^ BART - Parking
  72. ^ "Taxi Pick-Up Locations". San Francisco Airport Commission. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  73. ^ "America." Nippon Cargo Airlines. Retrieved on February 17, 2012. "900 North Access Road, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA 94128, U.S.A."
  74. ^ Flight International. April 2, 1964. 523. "Head Office: International Airport, San Francisco, California."
  75. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. April 28, 1979. 1379. "Head Office: San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, Ealif 94128, USA."
  76. ^ "ASN Aircraft Accident Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation N6915C San Francisco". Aviation Safety Network. December 24, 1964. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  77. ^ "Aircraft Accident Report" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. May 24, 1972. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  78. ^ "NTSB Issues Update On 767 Cargo Airplane Fire" (Press release). National Transportation Safety Board. July 3, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  79. ^ "Filming Locations for Bullitt (1968)". The Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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