page_title: San Francisco International Airport
section_title: Terminal 2
hierarchical_section_title: San Francisco International Airport / Terminals / Terminal 2
caption_attribution_description: English: Gate 58B in Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport during the community open house on April 9, 2011.
context_page_description: San Francisco International Airport is an international airport near San Bruno and Millbrae in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco, California. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe and Asia.
  SFO is the largest airport in the Bay Area and the second busiest in California, after LAX. In 2017, it was the seventh-busiest airport in the United States and the 24th-busiest in the world by passenger count. It is the fifth-largest hub for United Airlines and functions as United's primary transpacific gateway. It also serves as a secondary hub for Alaska Airlines. It is a major maintenance hub for United Airlines and houses the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and Library.
  The airport is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, despite it being located in San Mateo County. Between 1999 and 2004, the San Francisco Airport Commission operated city-owned SFO Enterprises, Inc., to oversee its business purchases and operations of ventures.
context_section_description: Formerly known as the "Central Terminal," Terminal 2 is composed of Boarding Area C, which has 9 gates (gates C3-C11), and Boarding Area D, which has 15 gates (D1-D12 and D14-D16). Gate D13 does not exist as the number has been reserved for future development. 
  Terminal 2 opened in 1954 as the main airport terminal. After a drastic rebuilding designed by Gensler, it replaced Rotunda A as SFO's international terminal in 1983 until it was closed for renovation after the current international terminal opened in 2000. The initial plan was to convert Terminal 2 for domestic travel and reopen it by fall 2001, but the loss of passenger traffic after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 put those plans on hold. The upper levels continued to be used as office spaces and for the airport's medical clinic, and the control tower remained in use.
  On May 12, 2008, a US$383,000,000 (equivalent to $454,810,000 in 2019) renovation project was announced that included a new control tower, the use of green materials, a seismic retrofit, and an expansion from ten to fourteen gates. The terminal reopened for commercial travel on April 14, 2011, with Virgin America (later Alaska Airlines) and American Airlines sharing the new 14-gate common-use facility. Approximately a week earlier, on April 6, 2011, Virgin America's ceremonial flight VX2001 was the first to arrive at the renovated Terminal 2, an Airbus A320 bearing founder Richard Branson with other invited celebrity guests, such as Buzz Aldrin, Rachel Hunter, and Gavin Newsom. VX2001 had rendezvoused with White Knight Two/SpaceShipTwo over Point Reyes before making a side-by-side landing.
  The newly renovated terminal also designed by Gensler features permanent art installations from Janet Echelman, Kendall Buster, Norie Sato, Charles Sowers, and Walter Kitundu. Transition zones (the immediate post-security line area for "passenger recomposure") and exit areas (where disembarking passengers may be greeted) were designed with generous space. Terminal 2 set accolades by being the first U.S. airport to achieve LEED Gold status. Paolo Lucchesi, a local food critic, noted the sustainable food and dining program featuring local vendors and sources.
  Following the construction of a new control tower in 2016, the tower and the offices above the terminal were demolished and a new office space was constructed in their place. On February 14, 2020, a new public, outdoor observation deck, called SkyTerrace, was opened in the new office space.
  Until May 12, 2020, American's check-in counters were consolidated to T2, but its operations were split between Boarding Area D and Boarding Area C (linked via an airside connector). Following American's move to T1, the existing Admirals Club location is scheduled to be repurposed as retail and dining space for T2. A new Alaska lounge was set to open in 2020 but is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  As of June 23, 2020, SFO advertises Boarding Area C as part of Terminal 2 due to construction. During the construction of Boarding Area B, Boarding Area C continues to operate, with Delta Air Lines operating as the main tenant.
caption: View of Boarding Area D in Terminal 2
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