New terminal … will make for happy travellers

Virgin America has unveiled a new terminal at San Francisco International Airport which, it says, will “reinvent the travel experience for the modern traveller”.

The 640,000-square-foot T2 terminal has been under renovation since 2000 and has benefited from an investment of more than £234 million. Virgin America says that, like its flights, the new terminal “elevates the travel experience by offering the best in design, technology, food and sustainable practices.”

The new terminal aims to shake off the reputation of airports as drab, soulless places and includes a “Recompose” area where passengers can de-stress after they have been through security. Its design aims to work in harmony with that of the airline’s cabins, with mood lighting at check-in points and numerous living-room-style spaces. There are laptop workstations for business travellers, as well as children’s play areas and large-scale art installations.

There’s also more on offer food-wise than your standard burgers and bar snacks, with numerous “slow food” concessions and a focus on locally produced ingredients. The sustainability efforts aren’t just limited to the food either, with keen attention paid to the energy efficiency of everything from lighting to heating and computer stations. Green, recycled and locally manufactured resources were used wherever possible.

A spokesman for the US Environmental Protection Agency said: “This is the future of airports. Each passenger will learn how green buildings save energy, water, building materials and money. Going green at SFO is an important journey for the nearly 40 million people who fly.”

Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson commented: “T2 represents the evolution of the airport guest experience and serves as a model for sustainable design.

“Just as Virgin America now has guests who say ‘I wish my flight was longer,’ T2 is a place travellers will actually enjoy visiting and spending time in.”

This entry was posted on Monday, April 11th, 2011 at 2:47 pm and is filed under 53612. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.