PHL has a verion of this ("Wingmate pass") that I use pretty frequently now! If I have a friend/family flying in/out I usually get one so I can meet them at the gate. It's very nice and convenient. I just wish they would let me use my Precheck, because I have to go through the "regular" security line and sometimes it's just too long and I don't bother.
This SFO version looks a bit nicer, though. You can apply 30 days out vs PHL's 7 days. And PHL makes me choose a specific entry gate when applying. So if you show up and that gate has a long line you can't just go through another gate that has a shorter line (at least that's what they tell you - in practice I've entered through different gates without any problems).
Both PHL and SFO won't notify you whether you are approved until midnight of the day you want to enter, which I find interesting. I guess that's some sort of security feature? I've never been denied, but it could be a hassle if you don't find out until the last minute that you were denied.
Since we're comparing those two in particular... The difference between SFO and PHL could not be more stark.
SFO: Brand new, high ceilings, quiet, clean, soft lighting and overall chill vibe. Variety of healthy (or not) food options, Ritual and Equator coffee. Decent bathrooms.
PHL: Dingey, cramped, loud. Bad food - not even good cheese steaks. Security checkpoints are spread out, PreCheck is far and no Clear. And absolutely FILTHY. I tried to point out to the TSA management that their employees are literally surrounded by dust bunnies the size of my fist, and they said cleaning is not their department. (No duh?!)
It's going from best in the country to worst, IME.
I don't really think this is fair. I haven't been to SFO in years, and I'm sure it's great. But I don't think PHL is nearly as bad as some people like to make it out to be. (To be honest, I think a lot of people just like to trash Philly.)
But it really depends on the terminal, too. I can never keep track of which terminal is which (other than international), but most of them are quite nice, with nice shops, art work, and restaurants (though, at the end of the day, nearly all airport food is mediocre).
As for "Security checkpoints are spread out, PreCheck is far and no Clear". There are 5 terminals and 6 security checkpoints. They are all quite close together, so I'm not sure why you think they are spread out. Especially compared to other major airports. You can easily walk from one to another. And they all sort of get you to the same basically place once you're past security. You can easily access any terminal, regardless of which entry you used.
It's true we don't have Clear, but personally I've never found it that useful. I've used it mostly in Denver (which, to be honest, I think is way less inviting than PHL!), but Clear has never gotten me through security any faster than PreCheck would have. Often times it's been slower! And I can't remember ever waiting longer than maybe 5 or 10 minutes to get through PreCheck at PHL.
There's a lot of things I hate about PHL, but I think your particular characterizations are unfair. Maybe it's been years since you've been through?
Most airports have some form of this, it’s just not public or promoted and is sort of an if you know you know thing for special cases.
For example the airline can give you a “gate only” pass. Essentially you need somebody to sponsor you to be on the other side of the security gates. In this case the airport itself is openly offering to sponsor folks.
>With SFO Gate Explorer, you can bring or meet friends and family at the gate, check out the latest exhibits and art pieces from the award-winning SFO Museum, and take in SFO’s world-class shopping and dining.
I haven't been to SFO recently. Does anyone know if they genuinely have good art or good dining?
They also have a sculpture by Noguchi and another by Kusama, but those particular pieces don't speak to me.
Theoretically the space should be conducive to art viewing, but the reality is most travelers are hurrying from security to their terminals, so few folks have the time to stop and appreciate.
SFO art shows are well-curated and interesting. There's a causeway in Terminal 3 to reach the F gates. It's now under construction but in years past it used to have outstanding art exhibitions that you could take easily while walking to your gate. I used to go out of my way to see them. The international terminal has a beautiful exhibition of flight attendant uniforms across the West face of the building.
Overall SFO is my favorite large airport. Things just work. The fact they went through the hurdles to get a private contract for TSA now looks like a prescient move. Only about 20 US airports have it. [0]
Sometimes they have artifacts -perhaps on loan, other times it’s what you can expect for a non serious museum where it seems stilted.
The food is better than most airports and often they are outposts of known restaurants though not as good as the actual main restaurants that have locations in the area.
It’s still an airport and most people are just transiting and not too interested in the exhibits. They might as well have community college students put up their work there and few would be the wiser.
Honestly, SFO pulls its weight on food. They have some amazing local restaurants to the Bay that have outposts there, it’s very clean, and the art and history installations are better than most airports domestically.
San Francisco is notable for being one of the very few airports to use a third-party contractor instead of the TSA for security [0], so this might have something to do with it.
On a recent multi-city trip, the SFO security team was friendly and cheerful, with one guy actually singing to travelers as he checked their IDs. The best I could say about the security people at BOS, EWR, and IAD is that they were... only a little bit rude.
I live in SF, so my most frequent airport is SFO, and I cannot remember a single instance with rude, power-tripping security staff. I don't think I can say that about literally any other airport in the US. (I won't make judgments about other countries, considering language barriers and cultural differences that I may not be aware of.)
On top of all that, SFO security had zero delays and staffing issues during the recent time period when DHS was partially shut down.
I fly to or through there 2-3 times a year, tiny sample size and I’m only flying through there to go back home in the evening. But it seems to be a consistently good experience. It’s a well run airport.
I fly out of JFK and a smaller city airport in the northeast mostly. JFK is crazy. The smaller one is excellent, except like 20% of their flights leave at 6AM and TSA starts at 4, so the lines can be awful during peak events (like winter breaks when half the population to going to Florida via low cost airline).
It is hard to disentangle that variable from other things like season, time of day, size of airport, and of course n=1 subjectivity.
I think overall regional culture plays the biggest factor.
And in that regard, I far prefer SFO over any experience I've had in Texas, Atlanta, Philly, NYC, etc. It does not feel like the security agents are on a power trip trying to intimidate you or make you feel stupid.
With one class of exception (everyone with an early-morning flight piling in before the airport opens and creating a security backlog around Thanksgiving and Christmas), it's never once been more than 10min from walking in the front door to being at my gate, out of dozens of flights at all sorts of days and times.
Do other airports have? The only ones that I have been to (that have separate Customs and Security lines for Business Class travelers) are in India and Middle East. I have never seen a separate line anywhere in Canada or US.
Most large US airports do (although it’s a little more subtle than in Asia/middle east).
It’ll also usually be branded “priority” or “premium” with the dominant airline for that airport/terminal (eg. Sky Priority or Premier Access).
Large airports like SFO, DEN and LAX have all combinations of CLEAR/PreCheck/Premium. Smaller ones only have some (ie. premium line doesn’t have precheck or clear).
The only airport I’ve been to recently that I don’t recall having a line like that was Bozeman.
Not true; T3 has one, at least. I don't recall for the other terminals, but I'd be surprised if not. That sort of thing is mostly up the the airlines, though, no?
I never use it, though... the pre check line is usually as fast or faster.
No, it feels the same as any other airport. It’s like hiring roofing contractors. Either one you choose the experience is going to be pretty similar regardless of choice.
How easily we forget that, before 9/11, anyone could go through security to the gates, without a boarding pass or any kind of approval. We've lost a lot to the security-theatre state.
PHL has a verion of this ("Wingmate pass") that I use pretty frequently now! If I have a friend/family flying in/out I usually get one so I can meet them at the gate. It's very nice and convenient. I just wish they would let me use my Precheck, because I have to go through the "regular" security line and sometimes it's just too long and I don't bother.
This SFO version looks a bit nicer, though. You can apply 30 days out vs PHL's 7 days. And PHL makes me choose a specific entry gate when applying. So if you show up and that gate has a long line you can't just go through another gate that has a shorter line (at least that's what they tell you - in practice I've entered through different gates without any problems).
Both PHL and SFO won't notify you whether you are approved until midnight of the day you want to enter, which I find interesting. I guess that's some sort of security feature? I've never been denied, but it could be a hassle if you don't find out until the last minute that you were denied.
Since we're comparing those two in particular... The difference between SFO and PHL could not be more stark.
SFO: Brand new, high ceilings, quiet, clean, soft lighting and overall chill vibe. Variety of healthy (or not) food options, Ritual and Equator coffee. Decent bathrooms.
PHL: Dingey, cramped, loud. Bad food - not even good cheese steaks. Security checkpoints are spread out, PreCheck is far and no Clear. And absolutely FILTHY. I tried to point out to the TSA management that their employees are literally surrounded by dust bunnies the size of my fist, and they said cleaning is not their department. (No duh?!)
It's going from best in the country to worst, IME.
I don't really think this is fair. I haven't been to SFO in years, and I'm sure it's great. But I don't think PHL is nearly as bad as some people like to make it out to be. (To be honest, I think a lot of people just like to trash Philly.)
But it really depends on the terminal, too. I can never keep track of which terminal is which (other than international), but most of them are quite nice, with nice shops, art work, and restaurants (though, at the end of the day, nearly all airport food is mediocre).
As for "Security checkpoints are spread out, PreCheck is far and no Clear". There are 5 terminals and 6 security checkpoints. They are all quite close together, so I'm not sure why you think they are spread out. Especially compared to other major airports. You can easily walk from one to another. And they all sort of get you to the same basically place once you're past security. You can easily access any terminal, regardless of which entry you used.
It's true we don't have Clear, but personally I've never found it that useful. I've used it mostly in Denver (which, to be honest, I think is way less inviting than PHL!), but Clear has never gotten me through security any faster than PreCheck would have. Often times it's been slower! And I can't remember ever waiting longer than maybe 5 or 10 minutes to get through PreCheck at PHL.
There's a lot of things I hate about PHL, but I think your particular characterizations are unfair. Maybe it's been years since you've been through?
It should be a benefit of TSA Precheck program that TSA Pre members would not need an extra step of applying for Gate Explorer.
Most airports have some form of this, it’s just not public or promoted and is sort of an if you know you know thing for special cases.
For example the airline can give you a “gate only” pass. Essentially you need somebody to sponsor you to be on the other side of the security gates. In this case the airport itself is openly offering to sponsor folks.
>With SFO Gate Explorer, you can bring or meet friends and family at the gate, check out the latest exhibits and art pieces from the award-winning SFO Museum, and take in SFO’s world-class shopping and dining.
I haven't been to SFO recently. Does anyone know if they genuinely have good art or good dining?
Compared to most US airports, yeah the food and environment is excellent. I wouldn’t say the airport is worth a visit vs. SF itself of course.
It's subjective, right? But a few artists I like have pieces there:
- Margaret Kilgallen (RIP): https://www.sfomuseum.org/public-art/public-collection/untit...
- Barry McGee: https://www.sfomuseum.org/public-art/public-collection/untit...
- Paul Madonna: https://www.sfomuseum.org/public-art/public-collection/here-...
- Robert Bechtle: https://www.sfomuseum.org/public-art/public-collection/untit...
- Ned Kahn: https://www.sfomuseum.org/public-art/public-collection/wind-...
- Emily Fromm: https://www.sfomuseum.org/public-art/public-collection/four-...
- Shawn HibmaCronan: https://www.shawnhibmacronan.com/#/the-press/
They also have a sculpture by Noguchi and another by Kusama, but those particular pieces don't speak to me.
Theoretically the space should be conducive to art viewing, but the reality is most travelers are hurrying from security to their terminals, so few folks have the time to stop and appreciate.
There's a very nice Wayne Thiebaud that's worth stopping and looking at.
By the E gates, right? I love that one. https://www.sfomuseum.org/public-art/public-collection/18th-...
SFO art shows are well-curated and interesting. There's a causeway in Terminal 3 to reach the F gates. It's now under construction but in years past it used to have outstanding art exhibitions that you could take easily while walking to your gate. I used to go out of my way to see them. The international terminal has a beautiful exhibition of flight attendant uniforms across the West face of the building.
Overall SFO is my favorite large airport. Things just work. The fact they went through the hurdles to get a private contract for TSA now looks like a prescient move. Only about 20 US airports have it. [0]
[0] https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/21/us/airports-without-tsa
"I really wish I was eating in an airport" - literally no one ever.
Airports are expensive, loud, and uncomfortable.
Not completely true for SFO: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47894081
SFO dining is the best of any airport restaurant I’ve been to. Obviously that’s kind of a low bar though.
Sometimes they have artifacts -perhaps on loan, other times it’s what you can expect for a non serious museum where it seems stilted.
The food is better than most airports and often they are outposts of known restaurants though not as good as the actual main restaurants that have locations in the area.
It’s still an airport and most people are just transiting and not too interested in the exhibits. They might as well have community college students put up their work there and few would be the wiser.
It's typical airport food and """art""". I've seen more fancier airports in Asia and Middle east
I've seen families tag along all the way to the security to say goodbyes... This seems like a great way to spend some more time right until the flight
Honestly, SFO pulls its weight on food. They have some amazing local restaurants to the Bay that have outposts there, it’s very clean, and the art and history installations are better than most airports domestically.
Neat idea. I do wonder how they managed to convince the TSA to allow this.
San Francisco is notable for being one of the very few airports to use a third-party contractor instead of the TSA for security [0], so this might have something to do with it.
[0]: https://www.flysfo.com/flight-info/alerts-advisories/tsa-lin...
Very interesting. Is it a noticeably different experience? I've only gone through SFO twice years ago and I don't recall a distinct experience.
On a recent multi-city trip, the SFO security team was friendly and cheerful, with one guy actually singing to travelers as he checked their IDs. The best I could say about the security people at BOS, EWR, and IAD is that they were... only a little bit rude.
I live in SF, so my most frequent airport is SFO, and I cannot remember a single instance with rude, power-tripping security staff. I don't think I can say that about literally any other airport in the US. (I won't make judgments about other countries, considering language barriers and cultural differences that I may not be aware of.)
On top of all that, SFO security had zero delays and staffing issues during the recent time period when DHS was partially shut down.
I fly to or through there 2-3 times a year, tiny sample size and I’m only flying through there to go back home in the evening. But it seems to be a consistently good experience. It’s a well run airport.
I fly out of JFK and a smaller city airport in the northeast mostly. JFK is crazy. The smaller one is excellent, except like 20% of their flights leave at 6AM and TSA starts at 4, so the lines can be awful during peak events (like winter breaks when half the population to going to Florida via low cost airline).
I have also flown out of that airport. The early flights maximize viable onward connections but the logistics are a real pain.
It is hard to disentangle that variable from other things like season, time of day, size of airport, and of course n=1 subjectivity.
I think overall regional culture plays the biggest factor.
And in that regard, I far prefer SFO over any experience I've had in Texas, Atlanta, Philly, NYC, etc. It does not feel like the security agents are on a power trip trying to intimidate you or make you feel stupid.
With one class of exception (everyone with an early-morning flight piling in before the airport opens and creating a security backlog around Thanksgiving and Christmas), it's never once been more than 10min from walking in the front door to being at my gate, out of dozens of flights at all sorts of days and times.
During the recent shutdown, SFO was one of the airports with no TSA backlogs because they weren't dependent on the DHS funds in question.
Outside of holiday surge, I have never waited more than 1-3 minutes in TSA precheck.
Having flown in and out a lot of the last decade, it is a stupendously run airport.
SFO has no line for business class or high status travelers. (they have pre and clear).
That's the only difference.
Do other airports have? The only ones that I have been to (that have separate Customs and Security lines for Business Class travelers) are in India and Middle East. I have never seen a separate line anywhere in Canada or US.
Most large US airports do (although it’s a little more subtle than in Asia/middle east).
It’ll also usually be branded “priority” or “premium” with the dominant airline for that airport/terminal (eg. Sky Priority or Premier Access).
Large airports like SFO, DEN and LAX have all combinations of CLEAR/PreCheck/Premium. Smaller ones only have some (ie. premium line doesn’t have precheck or clear).
The only airport I’ve been to recently that I don’t recall having a line like that was Bozeman.
That might be dependent on terminal.
Terminal 3 definitely has a United “Premier Access”/Star Alliance Gold line.
Not true; T3 has one, at least. I don't recall for the other terminals, but I'd be surprised if not. That sort of thing is mostly up the the airlines, though, no?
I never use it, though... the pre check line is usually as fast or faster.
No, it feels the same as any other airport. It’s like hiring roofing contractors. Either one you choose the experience is going to be pretty similar regardless of choice.
Pretty cool program. Would be slightly annoying if you wanted to get the pass with any regularity, but I love that it’s being offered.
San Diego has SAN Pass, which is essentially the same program with the same rationale for existence.
> with the same rationale for existence
How easily we forget that, before 9/11, anyone could go through security to the gates, without a boarding pass or any kind of approval. We've lost a lot to the security-theatre state.
Pittsburgh International Airport had a program like this for a few years, but it was suspended during Covid and never came back.
Not trying to encourage anybody to do this, but same-day cancelable award tickets are an option too…
saw an add for this in the airport last night. nice idea, but the ad was a bit cringey in my opinion
Great idea. Now do ATL, please!