96-751: SFIA may refer to: San Francisco International Airport , in the United States Skills Framework for the Information Age , originating from the United Kingdom, now established as the de facto global IT and digital skills framework SfiA, aka SulA, an SOS response protein Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
192-729: A Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber, was a marvel for its time. The building became the Central Terminal with the addition of the South Terminal and the North Terminal and 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
288-507: A ZIP Code assigned to San Francisco. Between 1999 and 2004, the San Francisco Airport Commission operated city-owned SFO Enterprises Inc to oversee its business purchases and operations of ventures. The City and County of San Francisco first leased 150 acres (61 ha) at the present airport site on March 15, 1927, for what was then to be a temporary and experimental airport project. San Francisco held
384-549: 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
480-603: A 1934 press release by the company, it called itself the Western Air Division of General Air Lines. Its route map ran San Diego to Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. In 1937 Western merged National Parks Airways , which extended its route north from Salt Lake to Great Falls , and, in 1941, across the border to Lethbridge, Alberta . In 1941 Western Air Express changed its name to Western Air Lines and later to Western Airlines. (In 1967–69 Western called itself Western Airlines International.) In 1944 Western acquired
576-598: A Mexican prison. The Mexican government tried to extradite Dodge back to face charges. Red became wealthy leasing government storage units with unlimited government business but never again flew to Mexico. The airline was promoted in the Carpenters promotional video for the track " I Need to Be in Love ", released in 1976. The video shows exterior footage of a DC-10 in takeoff and landing shots, as well as seating promotions for Western's FiftyFair seating product, with shots of
672-823: A cabin setting depicting what looks like business class of the DC-10. During the 1980s, destination flights aboard Western Airlines were featured as prizes on televised game shows, including The Price Is Right and The $ 25,000 Pyramid . In 1986 Western Airlines' fleet was 78 jets: In 1970 Western Airlines operated 75 aircraft: Western used a variety of piston-powered airliners including Boeing 247Ds , Convair 240s , Douglas DC-3s , DC-4s , DC-6 Bs and L-749 Constellations . The Constellations had been operated by Pacific Northern Airlines and served smaller Western Airlines destinations in Alaska such as Cordova, Homer, Kenai, King Salmon, Kodiak and Yakutat from Anchorage or Seattle in
768-704: A controlling interest in Inland Air Lines , which became a subsidiary with Inland's schedules in Western timetables until Inland was merged into Western in 1952. Western started flying Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1943, so the Western/Inland route map was a W: San Francisco south to San Diego , north from San Diego to Lethbridge, Alberta in Canada , south to Denver , and northeast to Huron . (It extended to Minneapolis in 1947.) In 1946, Western
864-566: A dedication ceremony at the airfield, officially named the Mills Field Municipal Airport of San Francisco, on May 7, 1927, on the 150-acre cow pasture. The land was leased from the Mills Estate in an agreement made with Ogden L. Mills who oversaw the large tracts of property originally acquired by his grandfather, the banker Darius O. Mills . San Francisco purchased the property and the surrounding area expanding
960-570: A famous phone call by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to "buy American made aircraft", Drinkwater reportedly responded: "Mr. President, you run your country and let me run my airline!" For years after this exchange, the federal Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) would not award Western new routes while its competitors, including United and American, grew enormous even though all Western airliners were of U.S. manufacture while its competitors' fleets included aircraft produced in Europe. In August 1953, Western
1056-646: A major hub at Salt Lake City International Airport and a small hub at Los Angeles International Airport . In 1986, Western entered into a code sharing agreement with SkyWest Airlines , a commuter airline. SkyWest (Western Express) Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners connected to Western mainline flights at Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, and other Western mainline destinations. In spring 1987 SkyWest/Western Express served 36 cities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. Western entered
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#17327877993771152-424: A modification to allow aircraft landing on 28L to use Instrument Landing System (ILS) while the aircraft landing on 28R takes an offset course, monitored via high scan rate ground radar, to maintain a lateral spacing greater than 750 ft until the aircraft can maintain visual separation. Visual separation typically occurs once the aircraft has descended below the cloud deck at an altitude of 2,100 feet (640 m). This
1248-443: A number of cities that previously did not have direct flights to the 50th state. In 1973, Western flew nonstop between Honolulu and Anchorage, Los Angeles, Oakland, California, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, California and one-stop between Honolulu and Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, Sacramento and Salt Lake City. In 1981, the airline also flew nonstop DC-10s between Vancouver, British Columbia and Honolulu . One of
1344-515: A one-stop flight MSP-SLC-LAX; in 1956 it resumed flights west out of Denver, to San Francisco via Salt Lake. In 1957 it began Los Angeles to Mexico City nonstop DC-6Bs, and in December 1957 it began Denver-Phoenix-San Diego. The airline's president was Terrell "Terry" Drinkwater. Drinkwater got into a dispute with the administration in Washington D.C. that hampered WAL's growth. Pressured in
1440-574: A rate of up to 60 aircraft per hour. When using 28L and 28R for landing, aircraft join the final approach at DUMBA waypoint next to the Dumbarton Bridge . In most circumstances, aircraft from the north or west start the approach from Daly City, California , descend along the east or west shoreline of the San Francisco Peninsula , and join the final after bypassing waypoints MENLO near Menlo Park and DUMBA; aircraft from
1536-430: A similar code-sharing agreement with Alaska-based South Central Air, a small commuter airline that operated as Western Express as well, connecting to Western flights at Anchorage. Several cities in southern Alaska including Homer, Kenai, Soldotna were served by South Central Air operating as Western Express. After the acquisition of Western by Delta Air Lines , SkyWest became a Delta Connection code sharing airline. In
1632-427: A subsidiary of Aero Corp. of Ca., founded in 1926 by Paul E. Richter , Jack Frye and Walter Hamilton. WAE with Fokker aircraft merged with Transcontinental Air Transport to form Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA, later known as Trans World Airlines). In 1934 Western Air Express was severed from TWA and changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name Western Air Express after several months. In
1728-425: A total of 27 gates when completed in 2024 including a secure Federal Inspection Services (FIS) connector to the existing customs facilities in the International Terminal. This effectively added six new gates that can handle international arrivals. A renovation of Boarding Area C was expected to begin after the completion of work on Boarding Area B, but there were no current plans as of September 2024. In April 2018,
1824-471: A week to Honolulu), 22 on Western Airlines , 19 on Southwest Airways (which was later renamed Pacific Air Lines ), 12 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. Southwest Airways began flying scheduled passenger operations from SFO in 1946 with war surplus C-47s ,
1920-681: A wholly owned subsidiary of Delta. The Western brand was discontinued and the employee workforces were fully merged on April 1, 1987. All of Western's aircraft were repainted in Delta's livery, including twelve McDonnell Douglas DC-10s . Delta eventually decided to eliminate the DC-10s from its fleet as it already operated Lockheed L-1011 TriStars , a similar type. Delta retained Western's hubs in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City; both remain major gateways and hubs for Delta. This mainline destination list
2016-573: A year later, including an estimate of US$ 200,000,000 (equivalent to $ 366,000,000 in 2023) for the Cargill wetlands purchase and restoration. The delays during poor weather (among other reasons) caused some airlines, especially low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines , to shift all of their services from SFO to the Oakland and San Jose airports. However, Southwest eventually returned to San Francisco in 2007. A long-planned extension of
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#17327877993772112-591: A year starting in April 1981 it flew LGW to Denver, continuing to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Another international route was Los Angeles to Miami to Nassau , in the Bahamas for a year in 1980–81. Western extended its network to New York City, Washington, D.C. and Boston, as well as to Chicago and St. Louis in the midwest, Albuquerque and El Paso in the west, and Houston , New Orleans , Miami and Fort Lauderdale . In 1987 Western had four Boeing 737-300 round trips between Boston and New York LaGuardia Airport , and
2208-550: Is known as the Precision Runway Monitor/Simultaneous Offset Instrument Approach and reduces the capacity to 36 arriving aircraft per hour. In poor visibility conditions, FAA instrument approach rules require aircraft to maintain lateral separation of 4,300 feet (1,300 m), meaning only one runway may be used, reducing the capacity of SFO to 25–30 arriving aircraft per hour. During rainstorms (approximately 4% of
2304-593: 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. In September 2018, SFO announced plans to use sustainable fuels after signing an agreement with fuel suppliers, airlines, and agencies. As part of
2400-429: Is taken from Western's March 1, 1987, timetable shortly before the merger with Delta Air Lines. The airline's main hub was Salt Lake City International Airport with a smaller hub at Los Angeles International Airport . Western had a flight between IAD in Washington, D.C., and DCA at one point in 1985. In 1987 the airline had four round trip flights a day between Boston and New York LaGuardia. Western timetables from
2496-605: Is the primary international airport serving the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California . It is located in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County , and is about 12 miles southeast of San Francisco. SFO is the largest airport in the San Francisco Bay Area and the second-busiest in the US State of California, after Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). In 2023, it
2592-400: The 1963 film It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World .) Western Airlines was famous for its "Flying W" corporate identity and aircraft livery . Introduced in 1970, the scheme featured a large red "W" that fused into a red cheatline running the length of an all-white fuselage. This new corporate identity was the subject of litigation by Winnebago Industries , which contended the new "Flying W"
2688-635: The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system to the airport opened on June 22, 2003, allowing passengers to board BART trains at the international or domestic terminals 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
2784-556: The Bellanca CH-300s flew 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, giving Delta its first international routes. Delta used
2880-601: The east coast as well as Chicago and St. Louis , and cities in Texas ( Austin , Dallas/Ft. Worth , El Paso , Houston and San Antonio ), and New Orleans in the south. Western had many intrastate flights in California , competing with Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), Air California / AirCal , Air West/ Hughes Airwest and United Airlines . In addition, Western operated "Islander" service with Boeing 707-320s , Boeing 720Bs and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s to Hawaii from
2976-460: The 1940s to the 1980s list service to the following at different times: Western contributed to popular culture with its 1960s era advertising slogan, "It's the oooooonly way to fly!" Spoken by Wally Bird, an animated bird hitching a ride atop the fuselage of a Western airliner, and voiced by veteran actor Shepard Menken , the phrase soon found its way into animated cartoons by Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera . Another famous advertising campaign by
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3072-491: The A gates of International Terminal to Terminal 1, Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, Terminal 2 to Terminal 3, and Terminal 3 to the G gates of the International Terminal. There is no connector directly between the International Terminal A and G gates. Formerly known as the "South Terminal", Harvey Milk Terminal 1 is composed of Boarding Area B, which currently has 26 gates (gates B2-B27), and Boarding Area C, which has 10 gates (gates C1, C3-C11). A third boarding area, Rotunda A,
3168-640: The Bay Area to offset the fill. One mitigation proposal would have the airport purchase and restore the 29,000 acres (12,000 ha) of South Bay wetlands owned by Cargill Salt to compensate for the new fill. These expansion proposals met resistance from environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, fearing damage to the habitat of animals near the airport, recreational degradation (such as windsurfing) and bay water quality. State Senator John L. Burton introduced SB 1562 on February 18, 2000, to bypass
3264-691: The Britannias with Boeing 707s that did not require the fuel stop at the Wake Island Airfield . Japan Airlines (JAL) arrived at SFO in 1954; in 1961 it was flying Douglas DC-8s San Francisco–Honolulu–Tokyo. In 1961 Lufthansa had begun serving SFO with Boeing 707s flying San Francisco–Montreal Dorval Airport –Paris Orly Airport –Frankfurt three days a week. Lufthansa operated Boeing 720Bs on this routing in 1963 along with Boeing 707s to Frankfurt via Montreal and London Heathrow Airport . Pan Am/Panagra service from SFO to South America
3360-804: The International Terminal). The new International Terminal includes the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Museum and Library and the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, as part of the SFO Museum. SFO's long-running museum exhibition program, now called SFO Museum, won unprecedented accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 1999. SFO experiences delays (known as flow control ) in overcast weather when only two of
3456-488: The San Francisco Board of Supervisors and mayor Mark Farrell approved and signed legislation renaming Terminal 1 after deceased gay rights activist and former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Harvey Milk , and planned to install artwork memorializing him. This followed a previous attempt to rename the entire airport after him, which was turned down. Following the art and photo installation,
3552-533: The agreement, Shell and SkyNRG began supplying sustainable aviation fuel to KLM , SAS , and Finnair flights operating out of SFO. Like all airports, SFO sustained a massive decline in traffic in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic . The only upside was that the decline reduced traffic to levels easily handled in all weather conditions. In 2022, SFO was ranked no. 1 by The Wall Street Journal on its list of Best Large U.S. Airports, on which
3648-416: The airline also operating nonstop Kodiak, Alaska - Seattle service with Lockheed Constellation propliners. Also in 1967, Western added Vancouver , and in 1969 it began nonstop flights between several California airports and Hawaii . In the late 1960s, Western aimed for an all-jet fleet, adding Boeing 707-320s , 727-200s and 737-200s to its 720Bs . The two leased B707-139s had been sold in favor of
3744-490: The airline capitalized on it. Western had a famous flyer out of Seattle: Captain "Red" Dodge. Red worked previously as a helicopter test pilot, and got involved with flying for the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) in his later years when he wasn't flying as captain on the DC-10. The movie Breakout starring Charles Bronson was based on his daring airlift of a CIA operative out of the courtyard of
3840-466: The airline centered on Star Trek icons William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy . Some of the carrier's last television ads, shortly before the merger with Delta, featured actor/comedian Rodney Dangerfield . In the 1970s Western called itself "the champagne airline" because champagne was offered free of charge to every passenger over age 21. (Actor Jim Backus uttered the "It's the only way to fly!" phrase while piloting an airplane, somewhat inebriated, in
3936-547: The airline was operating nonstop Boeing 720Bs between the Annette Island Airport (serving Ketchikan, Alaska ) and Seattle in addition to 720Bs between Juneau and Seattle, and in 1973 was flying 720B nonstops between Kodiak, Alaska and Seattle. In 1978, Western Airlines and Continental Airlines agreed to merge. A dispute broke out over what to call the combined airline: Western-Continental or Continental-Western, prompting an infamous coin toss. Bob Six ,
SFIA - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-664: The airport had helicopter service on San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines (known as SFO Helicopter Airlines, and as SFO Helicopter) with 68 flights a day. Helicopters flew from SFO to downtown heliports in San Francisco and Oakland, to a new heliport near the Berkeley Marina and 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
4128-464: The airport was ranked no. 1 for both reliability and convenience. On August 6, 2024, SFO unveiled a new logo and brand identity, retiring its current logo after 24 years of use. The logo will be phased in over several years. The airport covers 5,207 acres (21.07 km ) at an elevation of 13.1 feet (4.0 m). It has four asphalt runways, arranged in two intersecting sets of parallel runways: Runways are named for their magnetic heading, to
4224-676: The airport's four runways can be used at a time because the centerlines of the parallel runway sets (01R/01L and 28R/28L) are only 750 feet (230 m) apart. Airport planners advanced proposals that would extend the airport's runways by adding up to 2 square miles (1,300 acres; 520 ha) of fill to San Francisco Bay and increase their separation by up to 4,300 feet (1,300 m) in 1998 to accommodate arrivals and departures during periods of low visibility. Other proposals included three floating runways, each approximately 12,000 feet (3,700 m) long and 1,000 feet (300 m) wide. The airport would be required by law to restore Bay land elsewhere in
4320-701: The base of the tower building contains passages between the two terminals for passengers both pre- and post-security screening, which dictated the narrow tower base. Originally scheduled for completion in the summer of 2016 at a cost of $ 102 million, the new tower 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
4416-558: The colorful founder of CAL, demanded that Continental be "tails" in deference to its marketing slogan "We Really Move Our Tail for You! Continental Airlines: the Proud Bird with the Golden Tail". The coin flip turned up "heads". Six was so disappointed he called the merger off. From October 1980 to October 1981, Western flew Honolulu to Anchorage to London Gatwick Airport with a single McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 ; for less than
4512-505: The early 1980s Air Florida tried to buy Western Airlines, but it was able to purchase only 16 percent of the airline's stock. On September 9, 1986, Western Airlines and Delta Air Lines entered into an agreement and plan of merger. The merger agreement was approved by the United States Department of Transportation on December 11, 1986. On December 16, 1986, shareholder approval was conferred and Western Airlines became
4608-402: The environmental impact study that would normally be required for a large project like the proposed Bay fill and mitigation in order to expedite construction. SB 1562 was signed into law on September 29, 2000. A study commissioned by the airport and released in 2001 stated that alternatives to airport expansion, such as redirecting traffic to other regional airports (Oakland or San Jose), capping
4704-440: The first jetway bridge was installed at SFO, one of the first in the United States. On the cover of January 3, 1960, American Airlines 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 707s and Lockheed L-188 Electras to Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego and Portland, Oregon. In 1961
4800-623: The former Stapleton International Airport in Denver . Before it merged with Delta Air Lines in 1987 it was headquartered at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Throughout the company's history, its slogan was "Western Airlines...The Only Way to Fly!" In 1925, the United States Postal Service began to give airline contracts to carry airmail throughout the country. Western Airlines first incorporated in 1925 as Western Air Express by Harris Hanshue. It applied for, and
4896-766: The merger was nonetheless rejected in a 4–1 decision by the Civil Aeronautics Board in July 1972. Western was headquartered in Los Angeles, California. After the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, the airline's hubs were reduced to two airports: Los Angeles International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport . Before deregulation, Western had small hubs in Anchorage, Alaska , Denver , Las Vegas , Minneapolis / St. Paul and San Francisco . In spring 1987, shortly before Western
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#17327877993774992-627: The merger was opposed by rival airlines such as Continental Airlines and the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division under Richard Wellington McLaren . President Richard Nixon 's attorney Herbert W. Kalmbach suggested that the antitrust suit would be dropped in exchange for a $ 75,000 campaign contribution to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President , which American Airlines CEO George A. Spater agreed to. However,
5088-602: The mid-1930s, Western Air Express had introduced new Boeing 247 aircraft. Western Air Express built and owned Vail Airport in Montebello, CA from 1926 to 1930 and the Alhambra Airport in southern California from 1930 to 1931. Western Air Express operated a seaplane route out of Hamilton Cove Seaplane Base on Catalina Island, California from 1928 to 1930 The company reincorporated in 1928 as Western Air Express Corp. In 1930 it purchased Standard Air Lines ,
5184-886: 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 flying new Fairchild F-27s from SFO and by 1966 was flying new Boeing 727-100s from the airport. Pacific used the 727 to introduce the first jet service from San Francisco to several cities 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 mainly with Douglas DC-9 -10s and Fairchild F-27s to Oregon and Washington states. In 1970, Air West
5280-504: The nearest ten degrees; hence the runways at 14° from magnetic north are 01L/01R, and the runways at 284° are 28R/28L. The layout of the parallel runways (1L/1R and 28R/28L) was established in the 1950s, and have a separation (centerline to centerline) of only 750 feet (230 m). During normal operations (approximately 81% of the time), domestic departures use Runways 1L and 1R for departure while overseas international departures and all arrivals use Runways 28L and 28R, taking advantage of
5376-492: The neighboring cities of Daly City , Pacifica , San Bruno , and South San Francisco. The airport has four terminals (1, 2, 3, and International) and seven concourses with a total of 120 gates arranged alphabetically in a counterclockwise ring. Terminal 1 (B and C gates), Terminal 2 (D gates), and Terminal 3 (E and F gates) handle domestic and precleared flights. The International Terminal (A and G gates) handles international flights and some domestic flights. Historically,
5472-568: 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 20. United Express turboprops were scheduled 60 minutes apart to the 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 $ 2.4 billion International Terminal Complex opened in December 2000, replacing Terminal 2 (known then as
5568-456: The number of flights, or charging higher landing fees at selected times of the day would result in higher fares and poorer service. However, the proposal to build new runways on Bay fill continued to attract opposition from environmental groups and local residents. The airport expansion cost was estimated at US$ 1,400,000,000 (equivalent to $ 2,620,000,000 in 2023) in 1998, rising to US$ 2,200,000,000 (equivalent to $ 4,020,000,000 in 2023)
5664-411: The oldest terminal building still standing is Terminal 2, which was originally completed in 1954 as the Central Terminal with four concourses (Piers B, C, D, and E, lettered sequentially from north to south). Terminal 1 was added as the South Terminal in 1963 with Piers F/FF (Pier F had two satellite rotundas) and G, and Pier E was reassigned to the South Terminal upon its completion. International traffic
5760-497: The other direction to New York and London. Pan Am scheduled Boeing 707-320s from Tokyo nonstop to SFO (winter only at first) starting in 1960–61; the westbound nonstops had to await the longer range Boeing 707-320B. British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC, a predecessor of British Airways ) arrived in 1957; in 1960 its Bristol Britannias flew London–New York City–San Francisco–Honolulu–Wake Island–Tokyo–Hong Kong as part of BOAC's around-the-world service. By 1961 BOAC had replaced
5856-525: The prevailing west-northwesterly wind coming through the San Bruno Gap. During periods of heavy winds or if operations at Oakland International Airport conflict with SFO departures (approximately 15% of the time), Runways 1L and 1R cannot be used, and so all departures and all arrivals use Runways 28L and 28R. These configurations are known collectively as the West Plan , and accommodate arrivals at
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#17327877993775952-849: The renamed terminal was opened to the media and public for preview tours in advance of its official opening on July 23, 2019. Harvey Milk Terminal 1 is the world's first airport terminal named after a leader of the LGBTQ community. Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline in the United States based in California , operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii , and western Canada , as well as to New York City , Boston , Washington, D.C. , and Miami and to Mexico City , London and Nassau . Western had hubs at Los Angeles International Airport , Salt Lake City International Airport , and
6048-613: The rental car center on small automatic trains. SFO became 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
6144-741: 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. During World War II, the airport was used as a Coast Guard base and Army Air Corps training and staging base. The base was called Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Mills Field and Coast Guard Air Station, San Francisco . Pan American World Airways (Pan Am), which had operated international flying boat service from Treasure Island, had to move its Pacific and Alaska seaplane operations to SFO in 1944 after Treasure Island
6240-428: The same location as the present-day Boarding Area (B/A) A in the International Terminal), Pier F/FF (used by Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Western Airlines, later renamed B/A B), and Pier E (used by American Airlines; originally part of Terminal 2, approximately at the present-day B/A C). The three-level Rotunda A addition was completed in 1974 at the end of Pier G. When the North Terminal was completed in 1979, Pier G
6336-424: 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 , located atop Terminal 2, could not withstand a major earthquake, on July 9, 2012, crews broke ground for a new torch-shaped tower. The new tower is located between Terminals 1 and 2, and
6432-461: The site to 1,112 acres (450 ha) beginning in August 1930. The airport's name was officially changed to San Francisco Airport in 1931 upon the purchase of the land. "International" was added at the end of World War II as overseas service rapidly expanded. The earliest scheduled carriers at the airport included Western Air Express , Maddux Air Lines , and Century Pacific Lines. United Airlines
6528-550: The smallest jet destinations was West Yellowstone, Montana , near Yellowstone National Park . Western flew Boeing 737-200s to West Yellowstone Airport in the summer, replacing Lockheed L-188 Electras . In the 1970s and 1980s, Western served a number of small cities with 737-200s including Butte, Montana , Casper, Wyoming , Cheyenne, Wyoming , Helena, Montana , Idaho Falls, Idaho , Pierre, South Dakota , Pocatello, Idaho , Rapid City, South Dakota and Sheridan, Wyoming . The 737 replaced Electras to all of these cities. In 1968
6624-479: The south join the final through MENLO and DUMBA after flying over the Santa Cruz Mountains ; aircraft from the east join the final approach after bypassing Milpitas, California . Under visual flight rules, aircraft may safely land side-by-side essentially simultaneously on 28L and 28R while maintaining visual separation. When the visual approach is compromised, the West Plan is maintained with
6720-587: The time), the prevailing winds shift to a south-southeasterly direction , and departing aircraft use Runways 10L and 10R, and arriving aircraft use Runways 19L and 19R. This configuration is known as the Southeast Plan . On rare occasions (less than one day per year, on average), wind conditions dictate other runway configurations, including departures and landings on Runways 10L and 10R, departures and landings on Runways 1L and 1R, and departures on Runways 19L and 19R and landings on Runways 28L and 28R. In
6816-552: The title SFIA . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SFIA&oldid=1127147122 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport ( IATA : SFO , ICAO : KSFO , FAA LID : SFO )
6912-459: The turbofan-powered Boeing 720B. Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprops were replaced with new 737-200s. In 1973 Western added nine McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10s , marketing its wide-body cabins as "DC-10 Spaceships". They were configured with 46 first-class seats, 193 coach, and a lower level galley. From 1976 to 1981 the DC-10s flew Los Angeles to Miami nonstop. In 1969, Western Airlines opened negotiations to merge with American Airlines . However,
7008-635: The world" flights from SFO to Guam , Japan, the Philippines, China and other countries; Pan Am also flew to Sydney from SFO. The year 1947 saw the start of United Airlines Douglas DC-6 flights to Hawaii and Philippine Airlines flights to Manila. TWA began flying Lockheed Constellations (L-1649A's) nonstop to London Heathrow and Paris Orly in 1957. In 1954 Qantas took over the ANA/BCPA route from SFO to Sydney; starting in 1959 their Boeing 707s flew to Sydney via Honolulu and Nadi, Fiji, and in
7104-489: The year ending February 29, 2024, SFO had 385,543 aircraft operations, an average of 1,056 per day. This consisted of 90% scheduled commercial, 7% air taxi , 2% general aviation and <1% military. There were 11 aircraft based at SFO, 6 helicopter and 5 military aircraft. 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
7200-668: Was acquired by Delta Air Lines , the airline had two hubs, a major operation in Salt Lake City and a small hub in Los Angeles. At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, Western flew to cities across the western United States, and to Mexico ( Mexico City , Puerto Vallarta , Acapulco , Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo and Mazatlán ), Alaska ( Anchorage , Fairbanks , Juneau , Ketchikan , Kodiak and other Alaskan destinations), Hawaii ( Honolulu , Kahului , Kona , and Hilo ), and Canada ( Vancouver , Calgary and Edmonton ). New York City , Washington, D.C. , Boston , and Miami were added on
7296-412: 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
7392-485: Was added to the North Terminal in 1981 approximately where the old Pier B stood, and the Central Terminal was rebuilt with a single pier (D) to serve international flights in 1983, until a new International Terminal opened in 2000. Since then, the terminals were renamed with numbers in 2001, and the older terminals are in the process of renovation. A rebuild of Terminal 2 (D gates, formerly the Central Terminal)
7488-419: Was awarded a route from Los Angeles to Denver via Las Vegas, but in 1947 financial problems forced Western to sell the route, and Douglas DC-6 delivery positions, to United Air Lines . In 1947 Western extended the left arm of the W north to Seattle , and added San Diego to Yuma for a few years; in 1950 it extended the middle of the W north to Edmonton . It finally cut across the W in 1953 when DC-6Bs started
7584-629: Was awarded, the 650-mile long Contract Air Mail Route #4 (CAM-4) from Salt Lake City , Utah , to Los Angeles . On 17 April 1926, Western's first flight took place with a Douglas M-2 airplane. It began offering passenger services a month later, when the first commercial passenger flight took place at Woodward Field . Ben F. Redman (then president of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce) and J.A. Tomlinson perched atop U.S. mail sacks and flew with pilot C.N. "Jimmy" James on his regular eight-hour mail delivery flight to Los Angeles. By
7680-409: Was completed in 1988. Terminal 1 then underwent a US$ 2,400,000,000 (equivalent to $ 3,046,920,000 in 2023) project to modernize the concourse and add gates; the project broke ground on June 29, 2016. The phase of the project to expand Boarding Area B includes the demolition of the old TWA hangar, the demolition of the two rotundas, and the relocation of two taxiways. The multi-phase project yielded
7776-461: Was completed in 2011, followed by the completion of the rebuild of Terminal 3 East (E gates) in 2015. The rebuild of Terminal 1 (B gates) was completed in 2024. A rebuild of Terminal 3 West (F gates) commenced in 2024, with full completion expected by 2029. There are airside connectors at SFO that enable passengers to move between adjacent terminal buildings while staying within the secure area. Since June 17, 2024 connectors are available between
7872-409: Was demolished in early 2006, as its functions had been taken over by the new International Terminal. The South Terminal, which cost US$ 14,000,000 (equivalent to $ 139,330,000 in 2023), was initially dedicated on September 15, 1963 . The terminal was designed by Welton Becket and Associates . When it opened, the South Terminal had three piers: Pier G (for international flights, approximately at
7968-512: Was eventually acquired by Minneapolis-based Republic Airlines (1979–1986) in 1980 and the airline's headquarters office at SFO was closed. The jet age arrived at SFO in March 1959 when TWA introduced Boeing 707-131s nonstop to New York Idlewild Airport (which was renamed JFK Airport in 1963). United then constructed a large maintenance facility in San Francisco for its new Douglas DC-8s , which were also flying nonstop to New York. In July 1959
8064-543: Was expropriated for use as a military base. Pan Am began service from SFO after World War II with five weekly flights to Honolulu, one of which continued to Canton Island, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Auckland. The first service by foreign carriers was on Australian National Airways (ANA) Douglas DC-4s flown by British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines : Sydney–Auckland–Fiji– Kanton Island –Honolulu–San Francisco–Vancouver, BC. The first flight left Australia on September 15, 1946. In 1947 Pan American World Airways began its "round
8160-516: Was flying Convair 880s to SFO on one its first international jet services, San Francisco– Dallas Love Field –New Orleans–Montego Bay, Jamaica–Caracas, Venezuela. Also in 1962, National Airlines began flying Douglas DC-8s San Francisco–Houston Hobby Airport –New Orleans–Miami. SFO was among the first airports in the United States to install moving walkways inside a terminal. A 450-foot (140 m) set opened on May 20, 1964, in Concourse B and
8256-633: Was formed in 1934 and quickly became the key carrier at the airport, with Douglas DC-3 service to Los Angeles and New York beginning in January 1937. A new passenger terminal opened in 1937, built with Public Works Administration funding. The March 1939 Official Aviation Guide shows 18 airline departures on weekdays—seventeen United flights and one TWA flight. The August 1952 chart shows runway 1L 7,000 feet long, 1R 7,750 feet, 28L 6,500 feet, and 28R 8,870 feet. In addition to United, Pacific Seaboard Air Lines flew between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1933;
8352-480: Was merged into American Airlines while PSA was merged into USAir (later renamed US Airways which in turn eventually merged with American Airlines ). The airport closed following the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989, reopening the following morning. Minor damage to the runways was quickly repaired. In 1989, a master plan and Environmental Impact Report were prepared to guide development over
8448-572: Was operating new Boeing 727-100s which were joined in 1967 by Boeing 727-200s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s . In 1974 PSA was flying two wide body Lockheed L-1011 TriStars . After the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, PSA expanded outside of California. In 1967, another intrastate airline joined PSA at SFO: Air California , flying Lockheed L-188 Electras 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 outside of California. AirCal
8544-452: Was renamed Pier A, with the other piers renamed in a counterclockwise direction proceeding from the new Pier A. International flights were moved to the rebuilt Central Terminal (Terminal 2) in 1983, and then to the new International Terminal in 2000. The South Terminal underwent a US$ 150,000,000 (equivalent to $ 386,440,000 in 2023) renovation designed by Howard A. Friedman and Associates, Marquis Associates and Wong & Brocchini that
8640-577: Was routed through Pier G, and a new Rotunda G was completed in 1974 to expand Pier G. Terminal 3 was added as the North Terminal in 1979 with Pier A. Also, once the North Terminal was completed in 1979, the piers were renamed counterclockwise, with letter designations corresponding to present-day Boarding Areas, starting with Pier A (present-day Boarding Area A, originally Pier G), Pier B (present-day Boarding Area B, originally Pier F/FF), Pier C (present-day Boarding Area C, originally Pier E), and Pier F (present-day Boarding Area F, originally Pier A). A new Pier E
8736-592: Was serving 38 airports; in June 1968 that number had grown to 42. In June 1960, Western Airlines introduced Boeing 707s (707-139s) between Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. 720B nonstops MSP-SFO and MSP-LAX began in 1966, along with LAX-Acapulco. In 1967 WAL acquired Pacific Northern Airlines (PNA, the successor of Woodley Airways ) based in Anchorage, Alaska , its primary routes being Anchorage - Seattle nonstop as well as Anchorage - Juneau - Seattle and Anchorage - Juneau - Ketchikan - Seattle with PNA flying Boeing 720 jetliners on these routes with
8832-565: 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
8928-483: Was taken over in the late 1960s by Braniff International , which operated Douglas DC-8 -62s to SFO after Braniff's acquisition of Panagra. In 1970 CP Air (formerly Canadian Pacific Air Lines ) Boeing 737-200s flew nonstop to Vancouver, BC, and on to Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. The first nonstops to the U.S. east coast were United Douglas DC-7s in 1954. The airport's new Terminal Building opened on August 27, 1954. The large display of aircraft including
9024-464: Was the fourteenth-busiest airport in the United States and the 29th-busiest in the world by passenger count. It is the fifth-largest hub for United Airlines , functioning as the airline's primary transpacific gateway, and as a major maintenance hub. It also serves as a hub for Alaska Airlines . The airport is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco and has a mailing address with
9120-405: Was the world's longest moving walkways at the time. By 1960, all Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) flights out of SFO were operated with Lockheed L-188 Electras nonstop to Los Angeles ( LAX ) and Burbank (BUR) with some flights continuing to San Diego. In summer 1962 PSA had 14 departures a day Monday through Thursday to southern California, 21 departures on Friday and 22 on Sunday. In 1965 PSA
9216-536: Was too similar to its own stylized "W" logo. In the 1980s Western Airlines slightly modified the scheme by stripping the white fuselage to bare metal, retaining the red "Flying W" (with a dark blue shadow). This color scheme was known as "Bud Lite" due to its resemblance to a popular beer's can design. Western Airlines was a favorite first class carrier for Hollywood movie stars and frequently featured them in its on board magazine, "Western's World". Marilyn Monroe and many other silver screen actors were frequent flyers and
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