We’ve got a trip to the West Coast (Portland, Medford, and San Francisco) planned for June. We’re flying out of KSFO on June 23rd on American Airlines. The airport web site says Terminal 2 – to be used by American and Virgin America – is supposed to be ready in mid-April. Does anyone know if the project is on time?
2 or 3? Title conflicts with post.
Fixed. Is there more than one terminal being rebuilt at KSFO?
The “official” opening day of the newly renovated Terminal 2 is April 14, 2011. Even with the usual delays, I think you should be ok. Here is a link to a SF Chronicle article that ran a few days ago.
Thanks, FlyNYC. That’s exactly the kind of information I was hoping for! It looks like an interesting building, with some innovative ideas. It does seem like a bit of a renaissance is happening in airline terminals. Not enough, to be sure, but many cities are recognizing that the airport is usually the first (and last) impression of the community and are looking to improve their “front door”. Next year’s Super Bowl (fingers crossed) will bring many people through our new terminal here in Indianapolis.
Just a followup, now that our trip through KSFO has taken place. Terminal 2 is a beautiful, spacious structure. In fact, in some areas, it feels like space has been wasted with huge unused public areas. There is some wonderful art, some of it easy to find while other items are virtually hidden.
The “composure zone”, however, is way over-hyped. Yes, there was an area to sit down and put your shoes back on. But it wasn’t anything special. We’ve seen many comparable areas in other terminals. The area where you are supposed to be able to fill your water bottles after taking them (empty) through security is nowhere near the composure zone, which seems odd to me. It’s pretty far into the shopping area. Speaking of which, the shopping area is a bit bizarre, with a lot of very upscale stores. However, it’s after security so I find it difficult to believe that many useful items will be purchased there. But maybe that’s the Midwesterner is me talking.
We did use the American Airlines Admirals Club, which is very nice if a bit on the smallish side. I guess AA’s limited flights out of KSFO dictated that. In fact, AA is supposedly a temporary resident of T2. At some point, they will move into some other renovated terminal, leaving T2 solely to Virgin America. But their folks were unbelievably friendly, far more than at any airline club we have visited.
Finally, the “business end” of T2 is disappointingly crowded. All of the gates are bunched together at the far end. I know the airport geometry dictated this, but the actual gate areas are way too crowded. They’re nice enough, but too small. Luckily, only narrow-body aircraft are anticipated for T2. Otherwise, it would be a much more difficult problem. Also, the children’s play area is at the gate end as well, which seems like a poor use of space.
From what I’ve read, many of T2’s advantages are hidden. It is supposed to be the most environmentally-friendly terminal built to date. Those features are pretty much hidden from the public, however, which is how it should be I guess.
Overall, it was a nice experience flying out of T2, although a bit of a let-down. We didn’t have time, obviously, to explore every nook and cranny so we probably missed some things. It certainly was an eye-opener that our new terminal here in little old Indianapolis is just as nice, if less well-known, than KSFO’s T2!