Terminal would serve commercial flights with private TSA and customs screening
San Francisco International Airport is moving ahead with plans for a private terminal that would let premium passengers bypass the main terminal entirely, offering dedicated security screening and valet transport directly to the aircraft.
The airport will accept proposals from private operators between late September and early October, with a contract award expected by early December, according to airport spokesperson Doug Yakel. The terminal is scheduled to open in late 2028.
The 75,000-square-foot facility will be built on a site across the runway from the current public terminals. It will include its own Transportation Security Administration screening lines and Customs and Border Protection processing for international arrivals. Passengers arriving by car will be driven from the terminal to the tarmac in a valet service.
“Somebody that uses this product really wouldn’t see the other passengers they’re traveling with until they’re taken up the stairs of the jet bridge and onto the aircraft,” Yakel said.
Pricing will be set by the operator and offered on a membership or per-use basis, Yakel said. The terminal will serve commercial flights, not business jets, and the operator will set the fees.
SFO’s push into premium travel comes as spending on luxury experiences rises globally, according to a report by Bain & Company and Altagamma cited by The Guardian. The airline industry has already responded by expanding premium seating, lounge access, and chef-designed menus for highest-paying passengers.
Yakel said the airport saw a “high level of demand” for “premium experiences” in travel, citing the popularity of existing credit card and premium lounges. The private terminal represents the next step in exclusivity from those lounges.
The San Francisco area has seen a surge in wealth driven by the AI industry, with The Guardian reporting the single-family median home price reached $2.2 million. Yakel said SFO felt the timing was right to enter the market.
Private terminals have already opened at several major airports worldwide. London Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle have long operated luxury terminals, and São Paulo/Guarulhos recently opened the first private terminal in Latin America.
In the United States, Los Angeles, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airports offer a private terminal through PS, formerly known as The Private Suite, a company owned by security firm Gavin de Becker and Associates. PS access costs $1,295 for a one-time experience or up to $4,850 for a yearly membership, according to The Guardian. Heathrow’s private terminal costs thousands of pounds per person.
Multiple representatives from PS and Gavin de Becker and Associates attended a June conference hosted by SFO about the private terminal, and PS has said it hopes to open a private terminal at every major U.S. airport by 2030.
Yakel said the traffic experienced at SFO’s public terminals likely will not change as a result of the new private terminal.