First look inside SFO's new $2.4 billion terminal

This week San Francisco International Airport officials opened the doors of the brand new, $2.4 billion Harvey Milk Terminal 1 to members of the media. The new terminal will officially open on Tuesday, July 23.

This is the first opening phase of a project that will span four more years, through 2023. Southwest Airlines and JetBlue will move into the new space in July with nine gates.

Once vacated, the adjacent interim terminal from which Southwest currently operates will be demolished. This will open up more gate space for other airlines to move in, which will eventually include American, Hawaiian, Frontier, JetBlue, and Sun Country.

The project will also provide a new behind-security connection to the nearby International Terminal (A side), which will provide gate space for both domestic and international flights — the new space being large enough to harbor two giant Airbus A380s.

A few tidbits I picked up on the media tour today:

-SFO will host an open house "community day" for the public to tour the new terminal on July 20 from 12 noon until 4 p.m. Tickets (free) are required. More information about that here.

-The official name for the facility is The Harvey Milk Terminal 1. It is the first airport terminal in the world to be named for an LGBTQ leader. Spokesman Doug Yakel said, "We think that it's right for this to happen first in San Francisco."

-Upon entering the terminal, you'll see a 400-foot wall that includes art, photos, notes and other mementos depicting the life and times of pioneering gay activist and San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978. The wall and installation will be in place for at least two years. It will be removed when Terminal 1 and the International Terminal are connected.

-Bathrooms are spacious and bright, adorned with locally made Heath Ceramics tiles, designer lighting, large mirrors and seating. There are restrooms for men, women and "all." (See the slideshow at the top for a look.)

-The glass used in terminal windows is electronically tinted using sensors to determine intensity. It costs about five times as much as regular glass, but over the long term it pays for itself with lower cooling bills. It's manufactured in Mississippi by a company called View, which is based in Milpitas.

-JetBlue will move its SFO operations from the International Terminal to the new Terminal 1 on July 23.

-American Airlines will move into the new terminal in March of 2020. Frontier, Hawaiian and Sun Country will move in in late 2023.

-Delta's Boarding Area C (also part of Terminal 1) will be connected behind security to the new Boarding Area B but not until the final construction phase in 2023. (See diagram in the slideshow at the top of this post.)

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-The terminal is filled with 34 types of modern, comfortable seating types, which make the entire space feel like an airport lounge. Among the 2,134 places to sit down are standard tandem chairs you've seen at airline gates plus a wide array of leather, plastic, metal and fabric chairs, sofas and banquettes. (See the slideshow at the top for a look!)

-American Airlines will have an enormous new Admirals Club on the second level of the new Terminal 1 with dramatic views overlooking the International Terminal and hills to the west. There will also be an non-airline-affiliated lounge open to all passengers on a pay-per-use basis. There is also lounge space for a yet-to-be-named international airline lounge.

When complete, the International Terminal and Terminal 1 will be connected before and behind security with"swing gates" that can accommodate domestic or international flights. (See the chart in the slideshow at the top of this post.)

-The new terminal, as well as a new TSA security checkpoint, will open on Tuesday, July 23.

-There are a lot of companies involved in this project, including Austin Commercial & Webcor Builders Joint Venture HKS / Woods Bagot ED2 International / KYA and WSP / Parsons Brinkerhoff / AGS.

Take a spin through the slideshow at the top of this post for a closer look!

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission.  You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.