Airports, Ballparks and the Arms Race to Build State-of-the-Art Facilities
Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport is the air travel equivalent of the Giants' waterfront ballpark at China Basin. It's beautiful, it's timeless and it's a local treasure.
The facility is massive. The food is elite. And every seat in the house is a good one.
If it sounds like I’m talking about a state-of-the-art ballpark, it should.
But I’m not.
I’m talking about Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport.
Yes, for the second week in a row, I’m writing about air travel. But this time, there’s no Enrique Iglesias ballad to hum or marathon layover to moan about.
If you’re a frequent Bay Area flyer like myself, you’ll remember the old Terminal 1.
The ceiling felt like it was about to cave in. The dining options were limited to a hardly edible deli and an overpriced and overcrowded restaurant. The carpet was gray, the seats were dark gray and there was no doubt in my mind that if the San Andreas Fault kicked into gear, most of us would have tumbled out onto the tarmac.
And then in June, 2019, travelers experienced the same feeling Giants fans did when the team moved from Candlestick Park to their iconic digs along the shores of McCovey Cove.
Four years later, this terminal remains the standard.
I wanted to write about Terminal 1 because my sense is that airports, especially ones serving large metropolitan areas, are in the midst of an “arms race” akin to the one professional sports teams have been involved in for the better part of three decades.
Terminal 1 at SFO, Terminal C at LaGuardia in New York and a handful of other terminals around the country are establishing a new benchmark in domestic air travel. It reminds me of the way Camden Yards in Baltimore, PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Petco Park in San Diego immediately became downtown hubs and represented massive upgrades over previous stadiums the Orioles, Pirates and Padres called home.
Inside Terminal 1 at SFO, you can visit a museum (the current exhibit showcases the history of the San Francisco Opera), take your kids to a playground or visit multiple luxury coffee shops. You can sample local eateries such as Bun Mee (great Vietnamese sandwiches) like the way you can buy a Ghirardelli sundae at Oracle Park. And most importantly, you don’t have to throw your elbows around —the airport version of buzzing a batter with an inside fastball— to charge your phone.
A few weeks ago, I had a layover at Terminal 4 at LAX, which is the Oakland Coliseum of terminals. It’s the type of terminal where I genuinely expect to see possums crawling out of the desks the gate agents are using.
If Terminal 1 at SFO is my version of a home field advantage, traveling through Terminal 4 at LAX is like playing a Game 7 on the road after your bus broke down on the way to the stadium. Amazingly, Terminal 4 is so incredibly unequipped to handle a high volume of passengers that there are actually about eight versions of Gate 52 (52a, 52b, 52c, etc) and LAX provides a bus for passengers to take you to your actual gate in the middle of the tarmac.
Finding out you’re assigned to Gate 52z has to be the same feeling a kicker playing against the Oakland Raiders had when he was lining up for a field goal from the edge of the infield dirt.
I think one of the great parts about Terminal 1, much like a visit to Oracle Park, is that it puts into perspective what the experience of air travel should be like.
Travelers shouldn’t have to turn into Thairo Estrada stealing second base to find an outlet to charge a device. You shouldn’t have to pay $10.50 for a Dasani water bottle. You shouldn’t be subjected to long restroom lines that wind through the concourse (looking at you, Denver).
This is all part of why Terminal 1 at SFO is so great. And I think the people who build, design and budget for airports are taking notice. There are a bunch of airports around the country that are undergoing renovations and I’m excited to see the innovations that lie ahead.
I hope cities start taking more pride in their airports, but it’s also worth remembering that not every new terminal needs to meet the same standards.
Some terminals like the ones I’ve frequented in Burbank, Sacramento and Reno are perfectly fine staying the way they are. They’re Double and Triple-A airports in Double and Triple-A places.
While we’re at it, here are some additional thoughts on airports and ballparks:
—Terminal 1 in San Diego deserves the Shea Stadium to Citi Field treatment. Demolish the place and build a new one next door.
—O’Hare in Chicago should get the same cosmetic upgrades Wrigley Field has received. The layout works OK, but some high-end upgrades would help. It’s hard keeping up when you have to serve so many passengers.
—Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta is the Chase Field of airports. I can’t explain it, you’ll just have to trust me.
—DFW is Dodger Stadium. Pretty amazing how many places you can fly to from Dallas, and pretty amazing how many people Dodger Stadium can hold.
—Austin-Bergstrom is the airport version of the Atlanta Braves’ suburban ballpark. The ballpark village —much like the concourse at AUS— is cool, but there’s no reason it should be that far from downtown.
—The “new” Yankee Stadium reminds me of the upgraded portions of JFK. It’s pretty nice, but there’s no “it” factor or charm.
—I’ve heard very good things about the new upgrades at the Kansas City airport. I’ve never been to Target Field in Minneapolis, but everyone I know says the place is great. Those seem like a good match.
—The feeling I have traveling at Sea-Tac is the same feeling I get at Coors Field. It’s fine and there are some cool elements to it, but it could be better. I just can’t tell you how.
—The Rogers Centre in Toronto reminds me of IAH in Houston. Kind of a warehouse feel that makes you think that both buildings could be converted into a Costco if absolutely necessary.
—Lastly, riding the subway or taking a train to games in most cities around the country is an awesome experience and there’s usually a palpable buzz as fans get to the ballpark station. Riding the tram to baggage claim —whether you’re at Denver, Dulles, Newark or anywhere else with a silly little tram— is almost always a miserable time.
Next week, I promise I won’t write about airports. Even if I’m going to be at six in the next six days (Wedding SZN).
Has anyone ever written better blogs about airports than Kerry Crowley? I'll wait...