Next phase of Harvey Milk Terminal 1 opens at SFO

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has announced that it has now opened the next phase of the $2.4 billion Harvey Milk Terminal 1. This new section includes seven new departure gates, a new post-security connector to the International Terminal, a new museum gallery, and a new display of exhibit content honouring the life and legacy of Harvey Milk.

“We are excited to complete the latest phase of Harvey Milk Terminal 1, on schedule and in time for this summer travel season,” said SFO Airport Director, Ivar C. Satero. “With this newest addition, we’re taking the airport experience at SFO to a whole new level, using this facility to share the story of Harvey Milk to an even broader audience of global travellers. My thanks go out to the entire project team for this achievement.”

This latest phase of Harvey Milk Terminal 1 features the following:

• Seven new departure gates, capable of accommodating domestic or international flights, thanks to a corridor connecting to the customs facility. International flights are expected to begin using the gates this fall.
• A passenger walkway, located post-security, connecting Harvey Milk Terminal 1 to the International Terminal, Boarding Area A, allowing passengers to seamlessly connect to domestic flights between the two terminals without having to go through a security checkpoint again.
• An expanded recompose area located post-security, providing travellers a relaxing space immediately following the security screening process to gather items and focus on the next phase of the journey.
• A children’s area adjacent to the new departure gates, providing kids a fun place to spend time prior to boarding a flight.
• A new museum gallery featuring rotating exhibitions by SFO Museum. The first exhibition features flight attendant uniforms from the late 1960s and early 1970s.
• A new display of content from the exhibit ‘Harvey Milk: Messenger of Hope’, which features historic images that provide a glimpse into Milk’s life, including his activism and ascendance as a political leader in San Francisco, his tragic assassination, and his legacy of advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion that lives on today. This new display is featured on a new temporary construction wall located immediately after the security checkpoint, allowing all passengers who have completed security screening to experience the exhibit.
• This fall, a second location of content from this exhibit will open in the passenger walkway connecting Harvey Milk Terminal 1 to the customs area of the International Terminal Boarding Area A. This long-term exhibit will house nearly all the large-scale content originally displayed on the temporary construction wall.

The final phase of Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which will create a new north check-in lobby, was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but has now resumed. Originally scheduled for completion in spring 2023, this final phase will now be completed as early as spring 2024.