American Airlines and Virgin America in April 2011 will
begin operating in San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 2, after a
long-running, multi-million-dollar renovation project concludes.
American, which has served the San Francisco market for more
than 60 years, is currently located in SFO's Terminal 3. In conjunction with
the move, American will construct a 9,000-sq.-ft. Admirals Club lounge in T2's
Boarding Area D. The new club, which will be the only airport lounge in the
terminal, will include seating for up to 165 people, a multi-functional
business center, and private spa-like showers.
SFO has three domestic terminals and an international
terminal. The T2 opening will cap a decade of renovations and delays since the
international terminal opened in December 2000, replacing T2 as SFO's
international hub.
"Originally, Terminal 2 was scheduled to be closed for
about one year before renovation and conversion to domestic operations began,"
said SFO director of community affairs Michael McCarron. "Unfortunately,
the events of Sept. 11, 2001, resulted in a dramatic decrease in passenger
traffic, and plans for renovating Terminal 2 were put on hold indefinitely. In
2008, with passenger traffic increasing and airline demand for gates, the $383
million renovation of Terminal 2 commenced."
Other than routing passengers transiting between Terminals 1
and 3 through temporary corridors, there has been no disruption of passenger
services or flight operations, he noted.
"Business travelers, who comprise two major groups at
the airport—those involved with high-tech, largely in Northern California's
Silicon Valley, and international travelers going to the Far East, since SFO is
a major U.S. gateway there—will have the most modern, state-of-the-art airport
terminal in the nation," McCarron said.
American Airlines said it will have 14 ticket counter
positions and 20 self-service ticket machines in the nearly 575,000-sq.-ft.
terminal for its more than 30 daily departures at SFO.
T2 will be equipped with six security-screening lanes and
will feature free Wi-Fi throughout. Lounge areas will have ample electrical
outlets, and 30,793 square feet of retail space will accommodate 12 restaurants
and nine retail stores, including a gourmet market with a wine bar and spa.
The terminal will have the capacity for 5.5 million enplaned
passengers per year, and a projected 3.2 million such passengers in the first
full year of operation, airport officials said.
American will expand from 10 gates to 14 to serve
predominantly narrow-body aircraft, but with the capability of accommodating
the Boeing 747-400 and similarly sized aircraft. Nevertheless, the renovated
Terminal 2 will have the same footprint as the existing building, McCarron
noted. "The only element of expansion is the greater number of gates
American will have," he said.
Tom Del Valle, American's senior vice president of airline
services, said of the new terminal, "We are pleased to relocate to a
brand-new space that is both functional for our customers and employees and is
environmentally friendly in its design."
The terminal will be "highly green, with a design
focused on saving energy," McCarron said. Among its features intended to
reduce the terminal and airport's carbon footprint, will be energy-efficient
lighting and machinery, a water reclamation and re-use program, preferential
parking for electrical and hybrid vehicles at designated spaces in the domestic
parking garage, and preconditioned air to all aircraft to reduce jet fuel
consumption by aircraft auxiliary power units by 1.4 million gallons per year
and CO2 emissions by about 15,000 tons per year. Also, all food vendors will be
required to use biodegradable tableware. The terminal's sustainable elements
will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 1,667 tons per year,
airport officials said.
Once the terminal is completed, it's expected to receive
Silver LEED Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Designs program.
SFO officials now are looking to their next project. "The
airport is working with FAA to plan the construction of a new air traffic
control tower," McCarron said. "That five-year project, with funding
to come mostly from FAA that is still being worked out, is scheduled to begin
in 2011."
This report appeared in the Oct. 11, 2010, edition of Business Travel
News.