San Francisco International Airport is a key international airport in the city of San Francisco, California. Many people use the abbreviation S F O while referring to the airport. San Francisco International Airport hosts flights to destinations all over North America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. It is the second busiest airport in California after Los Angeles International Airport. SFO is the tenth busiest in the United states, and is the twelfth largest airport in the world.
San Francisco International Airport is used as a chief hub, or transfer point for passengers by United Airlines and is its only maintenance hub. Virgin America uses the airport as its main center of operations. SFO is also a transfer point (focus city) for Alaska Airlines.
LOCATION
San Francisco International Airport is situated at a distance of 21 kilo meters from the city center of San Francisco, California, United States. The airport borders the cities Millbrae and San Bruno, in San Mateo.
PROVISION OF FACILITIES
San Francisco International Airport has a big list of passenger facilities and amenities. These include a huge variety of refreshment joints, assistance for marooned or lost commuters, public shower facilities, a clinic for medical help and first aid, storage capacity for luggage. The airport also houses the Louis A Turpen Aviation Museum, which showcases numerous artifacts, exhibits and photographs related to aviation and its history. The purpose of the museum is to increase awareness among the people about the achievements, history and records of commercial aviation. There is also the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library containing an extensive collection of titles. There are also many art exhibitions held at different locations in the terminals. Many are permanent exhibitions, while some are temporary. Free internet usage through wireless fidelity access is also available to the commuters through out a major part of the terminal area.
THE TERMINALS
The San Francisco International Airport has four terminals. There are seven concourses placed in a circle. Terminals 1 and 3 are responsible for handling domestic transport and Canada flights which have been cleared. The International Terminal manages the international flights. Terminal 2 is right now undergoing refurbishment and will be opened in 2011.
TERMINAL 1
Terminal 1 was previously known as the South Terminal. It comprises of Boarding area B, which includes gates 20 – 31, 32 – 32 B, 33 – 36 and Boarding Area C consisting of gates 40 – 48. The third boarding area, which was called Rotunda A, was knocked down in 2007.
TERMINAL 2
Terminal 2 is currently closed for a thorough overhaul and now serves as a passage between Terminals 1 and 3. Earlier known as Central Terminal, the Terminal 2 was launched in 1954 and was the chief terminal of the Airport for years. It has the Boarding area D. The control tower and operation procedures are housed in the top floors.
The U S $ 383 million project for renovation comprises a new control tower, use of environment friendly materials and add-ons that will help prevent earthquakes. The terminal will open in 2011.
TERMINAL 3
Terminal 3 was known before as North Terminal. It consists of Boarding Area E and Boarding Area F.
Boarding Area E is made up of gates 60-60A, 61, 62A-B, 63, 64-64A, 65-65A, 66-66A, 67.
Gates 68-72, 73-73A, 74-75, 76A-76B, 77A-77B, 78A-78B, 79-86, 87-87A, 88-90 is encompassed by Boarding Area F.
INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL
The International terminal at S F O is the largest international terminal in entire North America. Its excellent design was the brainchild of renowned architect Craig W Hartman from the firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and was launched in 2000. The contracts for designing the airport were given out after holding a competition among architects.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, , Micheal Willis Associates, Del Campo and Maru Architects, Gerson / overstreet Architects and Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum were the architecture firms involved in the design and construction of the International terminal.
Prior to the launch of the International Terminal, the International Departures in terminal 2 was used to handle international traffic. Now, it has been replaced by the International terminal, which handles departures and arrivals from all locations, except those with pre clearance of customs.
