In an ongoing effort to improve the passenger experience, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) announced plans to implement a new airport-wide gate numbering system starting October 16, 2019. The logical revealing of alphanumeric gates will help passengers move through the airport – from check-in to security to gate or from gate to gate on a connecting flight. The gate renumbering will be revealed inside the terminals as well as on the airfield the morning of October 16th prior to the first flight out.
“We are committed to making SFO easier and more intuitive to navigate through,” said Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. “With this gate renumbering, travelers get a better sense of the airport layout and how to move easily and seamlessly through the airport journey. We know this will be an initial change for travelers who frequent SFO, but we believe this will be a positive step forward for all flyers at SFO.”
The new gate numbering system will be alphanumeric, in which gates will be assigned both a letter and a number. The letter corresponds to the concourse, which SFO calls Boarding Areas, while the number refers to the specific gate within that Boarding Area. This new numbering system can already be found in Boarding Area B of the new Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which opened the first nine gates on July 23, 2019. Airport-wide re-numbering is as follows:
Harvey Milk Terminal 1
Comprised of Boarding Areas B and C
– Boarding Area B is already numbered using the new system
– Boarding Area C, currently numbered Gates 40-48, will be renumbered Gates C2-C11, with a future gate C1 to be added in an upcoming phase of the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 project
Terminal 2
Comprised of Boarding Area D
– Currently numbered Gates 50-59, will be renumbered Gates D1-D18
Terminal 3
Comprised of Boarding Areas E and F
– Boarding Area E, currently numbered Gates 60-71, will be renumbered Gates E1-E13
– Boarding Area F, currently numbered Gates 72-90, will be renumbered Gates F1-F21
International Terminal
Comprised of Boarding Areas A and G
– Boarding Area A, currently numbered Gates A1-A12, will be renumbered Gates A1-A15
– Boarding Area G, currently numbered Gates G91-G102, will be renumbered Gates G1-G14
The transition to the new numbering system will occur on the morning of October 16, 2019, prior to the first flight. This time period coincides with a non-peak travel season and good weather at SFO. This timeframe allows for ample preparation, implementation, training, and communication to both SFO staff, airlines and guests. Renumbering will be implemented airport-wide across all terminals and on the airfield. Revised guest-facing signs, maps, and online information will be in place the day of the change-over to guide guests. The budget for this renumbering is $8.9 million.
For more information on the new gate numbering system, please visit flysfo.com/gate-renumbering.
