SFO International Terminal to be named for Feinstein
San Francisco International Airport’s signature International Terminal will soon welcome international travelers with a new name: Dianne Feinstein International Terminal.
The San Francisco Airport Commission passed a resolution Tuesday approving the honor for the late U.S. senator and San Francisco mayor, who while in both offices was a champion for the Bay Area’s largest airport.
Feinstein, who died in September, was nominated to become the terminal’s namesake in November by the Feinstein 100-Plus Committee, which seeks to honor her legislative accomplishments and keep her name alive. The committee’s slogan is “Dianne Feinstein Forever.”
The committee is filled with political and civic dignitaries, including retired airport Director John Martin and former Mayor Willie Brown.
In a news release announcing the naming, the commission said it reviewed the nomination and found “compelling reasons to name the terminal for Feinstein.”
Those include her role as mayor in the 1981 negotiations that resulted in long-term lease agreements for major airlines, as well as the construction of the International Terminal, which opened in 1983, cementing SFO’s reputation as a leading U.S. airport.
As senator, the nomination said, Feinstein provided key support for the BART extension to SFO, replacement of its air traffic control tower, and a new baggage screening system.
“As mayor and senator, she was committed to making SFO a worldclass facility that welcomed international travelers and benefited San Francisco and California,” SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told the Chronicle.
The details of when and how the International Terminal will feature Feinstein’s name remain to be determined, airport officials said.