After not being in T8 for a few months, I noticed several changes in the ticketing area this week, that are of note. Location references are as if you were facing the security area.

1. The J/F check-in area previously in section 1 (left side of terminal) has been dismantled and is now part of a larger AA economy check-in area. The economy check-in area for AA only also encompasses the triangular area taking up the entire left wall of the terminal.

2. Section 2 and 3 are now a larger TAM (including former LAN Chile) and Qatar check-in area.

3. Section 4 is now AirBerlin and Royal Jordanian with what appears to be some use by FinnAir (requires confirmation).

4. Section 5 is now J/F/Priority Check-in. This backs up to F check-in area which remains unchanged.

5. The walkway at the back of the ticketing area by the Jose Valdez coffee kiosk has been closed off so you can no longer access the security area from this direction. When J/F check-in was in its old location you could exit the back opening and walk this way to security clearance.

6. All access to security clearance is via the aisle between 4 and 5. The left line is regular security, the middle line is priority and the right is TSA.

I was at the terminal at 6am for the 7am to SFO this past Monday. Closing the area by the coffee shop removed bottlenecks of pax trying to loop around and onto security clearance lines. Coffee shop sales will probably suffer. The economy check-in line stretched across the front of the check-in areas so that when exiting the escalator, I had to excuse myself to cut through that mega line. Even though there were no TAM/AirBerlin/Qatar flights at the time, the terminal felt crowded. Although I have not seen it at say 4pm, I imagine the congestion of Euro bound fliers (particularly in the summer) in the area is probably pretty bad. Plan accordingly.

Moving around the deck chairs seems to have solved some problems but created others. An agent commented to me that F/J new location is closer to security and this is seen by the airline as a positive. Perhaps, unless you have to walk back out toward the entrance to get on line during times of extreme congestion waiting to clear security. I think squeezing economy to the far side of the terminal with no clear way to manage long lines is a very big negative, particularly as you come up and off the escalator.

For the first time, I felt that the airline has outgrown the terminal and perhaps needs to expand to the east behind the large wall mural.