Originally Posted by
COSPILOT
Denver is continuing with the Great Hall improvements, as well as expansion of concourses. I realize Denver is more domestic than SFO, is that the key difference?
SFO reconstruction (I'm not taking about cosmetic stuff) is substantially more expensive. I'm not speaking primarily of labor, but of the fact that heavy structures are built on temporarily-stable jello with a crusty surface. The old part of recently-destroyed T1 was sinking into the bay, ever so slowly. Delaying refurbishment / addition to a fully functional and not unappealing terminal (high ceilings, plenty of concessions,etc.) is not even close to the end of the world for us. In fact, we might even enjoy a period where there isn't any major construction project at SFO. Given the current expenditures for T1, this is not surprising.
In my Bay Area tenure, I recall that the DL pier of the South Terminal was first under construction for some time, then the current International Terminal (the biggest mess, primarily because of the roadways), then the replacement of the Central Terminal with now T-2, then the replacement of the pier in T3 where AA used to be (now the E gates), then the replacement of the oldest remaining part of T1 (still under construction). [And lest we forget that there was an even older part of the South Terminal, which was destroyed for Int'l terminal construction.]