Harvey Milk Terminal 1 Gets Going in San Francisco

San Francisco International Airport has welcomed the opening of Harvey Milk Terminal 1. The $2.4 billion facility seeks to set a new standard in travel experiences.

The first airport terminal in the world named after a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it has floor-to-ceiling windows that darken and lighten according to sunlight as well as circular openings in the ceiling - called oculi - that let light in.

Gate areas in the terminal are fashioned as lounge rooms, with 2,134 places to sit on 34 types of seating - including leather, plastic, metal and fabric chairs, sofas and banquettes

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected public official in California. He served on San Francisco’s board of supervisors for 11 months before he and mayor George Moscone were assassinated in 1978.

The focal point of the new terminal is the exhibit, Harvey Milk: Messenger of Hope, honoring the civil rights leader and his impact on LGBTQ+ rights.

Spanning nearly 120 meters, it includes 100 dramatically blown-up images of Milk - many crowdsourced from the public - as well as art, mementos and ephemera.

San Francisco International Airport offers nonstop flights to more than 50 international cities on 42 international carriers.

The San Francisco Bay Area’s largest airport connects non-stop with 86 United States cities on 12 domestic airlines.