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SFO runway (28L) closure could cause UA delays for months, 2024H1

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SFO runway (28L) closure could cause UA delays for months, 2024H1

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Old Jan 18, 2024, 3:04 am
  #1  
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SFO runway (28L) closure could cause UA delays for months, 2024H1

https://www.ktvu.com/news/sfo-runway...ays-for-months

Starting Jan. 16, Runway 28 Left at SFO will be closed for five months in order to reconstruct taxiways used by planes. SFO says the project will improve safety, by creating "separate, non-intersecting taxiways."

From January to April, 33% of flights could be delayed by 30 to 60 minutes, SFO said. The airport did not provide an estimate on the potential delays as summer travel picks up in May and June, but said it is working with the FAA to revise schedules.
I'm assuming UA will be massively affected since SFO is one of UA's hubs? I wonder how all of this will play out.
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 5:27 am
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There already has been re-arrangement of flights, cancelations, and other adjustments to ease the problem. They have practice with this...they have had major runway construction projects 3 or 4 times in the last decade. They have tended to finish early...but it all depends on the weather.
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 5:33 am
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Originally Posted by BlueZebra
There already has been re-arrangement of flights, cancelations, and other adjustments to ease the problem. They have practice with this...they have had major runway construction projects 3 or 4 times in the last decade. They have tended to finish early...but it all depends on the weather.
So the arrival times I'm seeing out of SFO for the next couple of months are relatively accurate since it has been adjusted?
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 5:43 am
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Originally Posted by lsquare
So the arrival times I'm seeing out of SFO for the next couple of months are relatively accurate since it has been adjusted?
I know that last week I received notification a SAN-SFO flight I have in mid April had been merged into a later flight. So instead of 1:30 and 3:30 flights, there is just a 3:30 flight. One less landing at SFO.

"Relatively accurate" is always a loosely defined situation. But this construction plan is not a surprise to the airlines.
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 9:12 am
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I have several transcon and transpacific flights in February, and have not been notified of any delays yet.
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 9:36 am
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These SFO runway closures for maintenance are a regular event. This one was announced a few months ago and the airlines have had plenty of time and past experience to adjust schedules in preparation. This becomes a bigger problems in case of WX issues as it further limits the options, but is not as big of issue in normal ops.

SFO Announces Five-Month Closure of Runway 28L in Early 2024 - FlyerTalk Forums

Consolidated SFO connection time/logistics-Domestic & International FlyerTalk Forums
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Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jan 18, 2024 at 9:51 am Reason: another prior posting
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 11:17 am
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Originally Posted by UA_Flyer
I have several transcon and transpacific flights in February, and have not been notified of any delays yet.
I think they may use the poor weather system to manage this situation, that is, dropping some of the regional service, rather than the international service, which is usually seasonally low anyway.
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 11:19 am
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
This becomes a bigger problems in case of WX issues as it further limits the options, but is not as big of issue in normal ops.
Interestingly, this particular closure will actually eliminate one of the major causes of delay (i.e., the parallel runways too close together) . . . it will now be single runway for the 28s throughout the closure period.

Agree this is old news.
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 8:50 pm
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
These SFO runway closures for maintenance are a regular event. This one was announced a few months ago and the airlines have had plenty of time and past experience to adjust schedules in preparation. This becomes a bigger problems in case of WX issues as it further limits the options, but is not as big of issue in normal ops.

SFO Announces Five-Month Closure of Runway 28L in Early 2024 - FlyerTalk Forums

Consolidated SFO connection time/logistics-Domestic & International FlyerTalk Forums
I had no idea it was old news. Check the date of the article...just trying to keep the community up to date about SFO. I'll be back at SFO early next week to fly to HKG so I thought this could affect me.
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Old Jan 18, 2024, 10:48 pm
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The parallel runways too close together issue has plagued SFO for decades.
Back in 2000 when I lived in the eastern part of the Bay Area, I had a project in downtown Los Angeles. My choices were to fly SFO - BUR (far more convenient drive to the client location) or OAK - LAX. Getting to SFO took marginally longer than getting to OAK, but I would have preferred it due to the convenience of arriving at BUR. However, the SFO - BUR - SFO flights often experienced fog delays that eventually negated any convenience gained by flying to BUR. Hence, I eventually standardized on just taking the OAK - LAX flights. OAK - BUR would have been the best possible option, but no carrier scheduled that route at the time.
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Old Jan 19, 2024, 12:32 am
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Originally Posted by infrequently
The parallel runways too close together issue has plagued SFO for decades.
Back in 2000 when I lived in the eastern part of the Bay Area, I had a project in downtown Los Angeles. My choices were to fly SFO - BUR (far more convenient drive to the client location) or OAK - LAX. Getting to SFO took marginally longer than getting to OAK, but I would have preferred it due to the convenience of arriving at BUR. However, the SFO - BUR - SFO flights often experienced fog delays that eventually negated any convenience gained by flying to BUR. Hence, I eventually standardized on just taking the OAK - LAX flights. OAK - BUR would have been the best possible option, but no carrier scheduled that route at the time.
Why was SFO even designed like that? Any long-term solution, especially after the close call with AC and the OZ disaster?
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Old Jan 19, 2024, 1:28 am
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Originally Posted by lsquare
Why was SFO even designed like that? Any long-term solution, especially after the close call with AC and the OZ disaster?
Smaller planes carrying generally smaller people
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Old Jan 19, 2024, 1:31 am
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Originally Posted by lsquare
Why was SFO even designed like that? Any long-term solution, especially after the close call with AC and the OZ disaster?
Just my speculation...
Well, SFO has been in operation in one form or another since 1927, so it long predates wide-body jets - or even jets, for that matter! It has operated parallel runways since at least Word War II, so the "designers" just could not have known that the runways would be too close together. Other strategic international hub cities have built new airports that are better equipped to handle intercontinental aviation, but that has never happened for San Francisco. OAK and SJC have never been elevated to international hub status, and the environmental impact of expanding SFO via reclamation of land in the bay would make it politically impossible.
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Old Jan 19, 2024, 2:32 am
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Originally Posted by lsquare
Why was SFO even designed like that? Any long-term solution, especially after the close call with AC and the OZ disaster?

OZ had nothing to do with the closeness of the runways, and AC only possibly very indirectly so.
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Old Jan 19, 2024, 5:27 am
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Originally Posted by lsquare
Why was SFO even designed like that? Any long-term solution, especially after the close call with AC and the OZ disaster?
Long term fix would be a complicated and expensive spreading of the two runways. Being as SFO is on bay fill, and the United repair facility is in the way...a tough fix.

The OZ crash had zero to do with the closeness of the runways.

Related, we flew SFO-FRA-CPH the day after the OZ crash. As 28L was closed, we had to taxi a long way around to get to 28R to take off. It was about a 30 minute taxi. We were an hour late into FRA, and had under 40 minutes to clear Passport check and make our flight to CPH. They held our plane, and our bags made it.
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