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Bharat Lakshmanan, a commercial pilot from the East Coast, takes photos while plane spotting at the SkyTerrace observation deck inside Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport. The open-air deck overlooking the runways is free to visit \u2014 even without a boarding pass.<\/p>\n
Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
A photo of the old airport hangs at the SkyTerrace lobby as part of SFO Museum exhibitions in Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport.<\/p>\n
Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
The SkyTerrace observation deck offers 180-degree views of the airfield from Terminal 2 \u2014 without having to brave security lines or TSA checks.<\/p>\n
Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
The SkyTerrace lobby showcases an exhibit as part of the SFO Museum in Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport.<\/p>\n
Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Neda Dai leaves the SkyTerrace observation deck at SFO, where she was waiting for a friend after arriving from Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Less than 40 minutes ago I was a grown-up, juggling the usual adult worries, at work near downtown San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I\u2019m a kid again, on an open-air observation deck at San Francisco International Airport, listening to the mighty roar of a massive United Airlines Boeing 777 as it launches into the sky a couple hundred yards away. Then another plane. Then another. A seemingly endless ballet of aeronautical engineering \u2014 accessible without a boarding pass.<\/p>\n
How have I never heard of this place?<\/p>\n
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I grew up in the 1980s five minutes from the airport, and would run through it with my friends like a feral cat, in the pre-Sept. 11 days when you could hop from terminal to terminal without a ticket. I assumed this kind of experience was extinct in 2026.<\/p>\n
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The SkyTerrace observation deck in Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport offers views of the four airport runways that intersect like a tic-tac-toe board and arriving and departing aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
But Chronicle Climate Editor Kate Galbraith<\/a> let me know that the SkyTerrace, one of two SFO observation decks, offers plane-spotting views before the long lines and TSA checks. Anyone can go, including culture critics who love to find new places to chill over a long lunch<\/a>.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The Chronicle is adding to our list of San Francisco\u2019s best-kept secrets,<\/a> the neighborhood surprises, urban Easter eggs, hidden art, secret menu items and free getaways that longtime residents know \u2014 or are overdue to discover. Share your favorites in the survey below.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The BART gods smile on me. It\u2019s less than half an hour from the\u00a0Powell Street station to the SFO airport stop, and another six minutes on the AirTrain to Terminal 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n I enter Terminal 2 ticketing, grab a sad sandwich at the only food option outside security (pro tip: bring your own lunch) and walk just short of the TSA lines, where an elevator to my left is labeled \u201cSkyTerrace.\u201d<\/p>\n The elevator doors open, I walk through a quick security check, show my bag to a guard and step into what looks like the lobby of a Scottsdale wellness spa.\u00a0<\/p>\n The SkyTerrace lobby has comfy chairs and an exhibit from the SFO Museum in Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport.<\/p>\n Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n No sturdy chairs bolted together like at Gate 27A. Curvy mid-century modern furniture seems teleported from the Pan Am \u201cMad Men\u201d era of air travel. The room is filled with history and props from SFO\u2019s commercial airport beginning in the 1930s and its predecessor Mills Field. What looks like a tourist pamphlet wall just inside the glass doors is actually the SkyTerrace library, with historical aviation moments and ephemera curated by the airport\u2019s in-house museum team.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n That\u2019s far from the only draw. Outside a series of well-spaced wooden lounge chairs, benches and drought-resistant plants look out on 180-degree views, surrounded on three sides by thick seven-foot glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n One tendril of Terminal 2 is front and center, with United planes boarding below me. I\u2019m briefly disappointed, thinking the deck is too far from a runway for impressive plane-watching. But then a Korean Air 747 rumbles into view close by, gathering speed for liftoff with a roar I feel in my kidneys. That turns out to be an appetizer. Larger United 777 and 787 planes appear, launching like blue whales over the San Bruno Mountains, making me wonder for the 1,000th time: \u201cHow do these enormous things fly?\u201d<\/p>\n Chief Development Officer at SFO Judi Mosqueda arrives at SkyTerrace. The free observation deck is open to guests Friday-Monday, no ticket required.<\/p>\n Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n The SkyTerrace and a second observation deck located inside the International Terminal opened in 2020. This one is closer to the runways, but the hours are short: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday.<\/p>\n The airport\u2019s four runways intersect off the tip of Terminal 2 like a tic-tac-toe game<\/a>. While some planes head northwest, others take off across San Francisco Bay, seeming to disappear over the Oakland Hills and Mt. Diablo in the distance.<\/p>\n The complex dance will move a little slower for the foreseeable future. One runway closed Monday for a six-month repaving project, and on Tuesday the FAA imposed new limits<\/a> on the number of flights that can arrive at SFO each hour.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A flight from United Airlines takes off from San Francisco International Airport.<\/p>\n Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n But the visual display is entrancing regardless. My plan to hang out for 30 minutes turns into \u201cmaybe I\u2019ll just work from here today.\u201d The Wi-Fi is stable and free, and the company is pleasant. I chat with one local who asked not to be identified, we\u2019ll call him \u201cViktor,\u201d<\/a> and who tells me about luxe overseas observation decks with pools and fireplaces. SFO\u2019s has none of these amenities, but is special because it\u2019s one of the very few \u201cland\u201d side decks, accessible without a ticket.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n I check the time and realize that my planned 20-minute stop is pushing two hours. (Beware if you have a plane to catch: Time stretches into infinity at record stores and airport observation decks.) Next time I\u2019ll stop in the Mission District or Glen Park<\/a>\u00a0and grab some tacos to bring along. Otherwise this detour has worked out perfectly.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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