Quick summary
San Francisco International Airport has issued a Private Terminal Ground Lease RFP, seeking an experienced operator to build and run a PS-style private terminal at SFO — one that bypasses the main terminal entirely, offers dedicated TSA screening, and delivers passengers to their aircraft by car across the airfield. The formal bid and comment period is scheduled for September 30 – October 7, 2026. The RFP requires bidders to have at least two years of experience operating a private terminal with TSA and CBP screening, and to demonstrate $15 million or more in annual gross sales from such operations.
That qualification language effectively narrows the field to a single credible US operator. The operator selection process following this RFP is what high-spend Bay Area travelers and corporate travel managers need to watch — founding-tier access and pricing rarely survive the ribbon-cutting.
San Francisco International Airport is moving to bring the private-terminal experience to the Bay Area. The airport has issued a formal ground-lease procurement for a dedicated private terminal — a facility separate from the main passenger building, with its own security checkpoint, lounge-style amenities, and chauffeured airside transfers directly to the aircraft door.
The concept is already operating at LAX and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, with new PS facilities opening this month in Dallas and Miami. SFO’s move would close the gap for Bay Area travelers who currently route through Southern California just to access this kind of ground experience.
The RFP’s experience requirements are precise: proposers must have managed or owned a private terminal with live TSA and CBP screening for at least two years, and must show $15 million or more in annual gross sales from those operations. Read literally, that qualifies one US operator. The formal comment and proposal window opens September 30 and closes October 7, 2026 — after which shortlisted bidders will signal which brand and service model is coming to SFO.
This is a planning-stage announcement, not a groundbreaking. But the procurement language, the TSA regulatory backdrop, and the timing relative to SFO’s broader capital program tell a more complete story than the headline suggests.
What the RFP actually tells us about the SFO private terminal
SFO is simultaneously running one of the largest airport capital programs in the US. The $2.9 billion Terminal 3 West Modernization — which broke ground in August 2024 — adds 200,000 square feet of new space, an expanded security checkpoint, and a six-story building for lounges and offices, with phased openings from fall 2027 through early 2029. The International Terminal Building is also being reconfigured, with new Automated Passport Control technology and expanded CBP and immigration areas to handle higher international volumes.
A private terminal sits alongside that program, not inside it. Under the ground-lease model, SFO acts as landlord — the private operator finances, builds, and runs the facility on airport property in exchange for rent and revenue-based fees. That keeps the capital off SFO’s books while generating lease income and passenger facility charges. The airport gets a premium product; the operator takes the construction and operational risk.
The TSA dimension matters here. SFO is already the only major US hub using private contractors for security screening — a legacy of the Screening Partnership Program. TSA’s newer TSA Gold+ framework extends that model, allowing vetted private contractors to manage both security officers and screening technology to federal standards. Travelers still clear official TSA and CBP checks; they just do it in a private facility with different staffing ratios, amenities, and — critically — different wait-time dynamics. The TSA Gold+ expansion is the regulatory infrastructure that makes a private terminal at a major hub legally and operationally viable.
| Airport | Operator / Status | Key features | Access model |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAX | PS — operating | Private suites, in-terminal dining, BMW airside transfer | Membership + per-visit; Amex Centurion preferred pricing |
| ATL | PS — operating | Private TSA screening, airside transfers, domestic and international | Membership + per-visit; mirrors LAX structure |
| Dallas (DFW) | PS — opening this month | PS model; AA ConciergeKey members receive one complimentary visit | Pay-per-use + membership |
| Miami (MIA) | PS — opening this month | PS model; AA ConciergeKey access included | Pay-per-use + membership |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | RFP stage — disputed | PS-style concept; procurement under political scrutiny | TBD |
| SFO | RFP issued — operator TBD | Dedicated TSA/CBP, airside transfer, separate facility | Comment window: Sep 30 – Oct 7, 2026 |
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Why the LAX precedent matters for SFO travelers
When PS launched at LAX in 2017, it created something the airline industry hadn’t seen in the US before: a premium ground experience that operated entirely outside the standard status-tier system. No elite frequent-flyer card required. No airline lounge access needed. The product was priced as a standalone service — and it found its market quickly among Hollywood, finance, and sports clients who valued discretion and time over airline miles.
That’s the template SFO is working from. The key difference is that SFO’s international terminal infrastructure — currently being expanded with new CBP and immigration capacity — gives a future private terminal here a genuine international arrivals component. At LAX, the airside transfer model works cleanly for domestic. At SFO, with United, ANA, JAL, Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, and Cathay Pacific all operating trans-Pacific services, the customs-clearance piece is the real differentiator. Arriving from Tokyo or Hong Kong and clearing immigration in a private facility — rather than the main international arrivals hall — is a meaningfully different product. That’s also why the RFP specifically requires CBP experience, not just TSA.
The Boston Logan remote security model — where passengers clear TSA off-site and board a bus to the gate — shows the broader direction US airports are moving: security as a separable, locationally flexible service rather than a fixed terminal function.
Steps to take before an operator is named
The SFO private terminal is in active procurement — an operator hasn’t been selected, and no opening date exists. But the decisions that determine who gets early access and at what price will be made in the next two to three quarters, not after a grand opening.
- Bookmark the RFP portal now. The SFO Private Terminal Ground Lease procurement page will publish shortlisted bidders after the October 7, 2026 comment window closes. That shortlist tells you the brand, the service model, and — by inference — which airlines are likely to be access partners.
- Ask your airline’s corporate sales rep now. If you manage Bay Area corporate travel, the time to ask about potential SFO private-terminal tie-ins is before an operator is selected, not after. Airlines negotiate access deals during the operator selection phase — not at launch.
- Check your Amex Centurion benefits. PS at LAX and ATL already includes Amex Centurion preferred pricing and two complimentary visits per year. If PS wins the SFO contract — which the RFP language strongly implies — that benefit will likely extend to SFO. Centurion cardholders should verify current benefit terms with their card issuer.
- Track the TSA Gold+ rollout. SFO is already the only major US hub using private security contractors. If TSA explicitly references SFO or large-hub private terminals in upcoming Gold+ guidance, it signals the regulatory pathway is clear and an on-time opening is more likely.
- Factor in Terminal 3 West construction. The $2.9 billion modernization runs through at least early 2029. If you’re transiting SFO regularly before then, morning and evening security banks in the main terminal will remain congested — which makes the private terminal’s dedicated checkpoint more valuable, not less, during the construction window.
Watch: Shortlisted bidder announcements following the October 7, 2026 comment window close. If the list is narrow — one or two names — the operator and service model are effectively decided. If the window slips or no shortlist is published, expect the project to move into the next capital-planning cycle.
Questions? Answers.
Which airlines will be accessible from SFO’s private terminal?
No airline partnerships have been announced — an operator hasn’t been selected yet. At LAX and ATL, PS works with all major commercial carriers whose flights depart from those airports. Given SFO’s role as a United hub and a major trans-Pacific gateway for ANA, JAL, Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, and Cathay Pacific, those carriers are the most likely early partners once an operator is named and airline MOUs are negotiated.
How much will SFO’s private terminal cost to use?
No pricing has been set — that will be determined by whichever operator wins the ground lease. For reference, PS at LAX charges around $825 per person for Amex Centurion-exclusive access, $1,050 per person for airside-only transfers, and $3,550 for a private suite for up to four travelers. SFO pricing will likely follow a similar structure, with membership and per-visit tiers.
Do you still clear TSA and customs at a private terminal?
Yes. Federal screening requirements don’t change. Under the TSA Gold+ and Screening Partnership Program frameworks, private contractors manage the officers and technology, but the checkpoint is still an official TSA or CBP facility. You clear the same federal process — just in a private facility with different staffing levels, amenities, and typically shorter queues.
When could SFO’s private terminal actually open?
No opening date has been announced. The RFP comment window runs September 30 – October 7, 2026. After operator selection, a ground-lease negotiation, design, and construction phase would follow — a process that typically takes two to four years for a facility of this type. A realistic opening window, assuming no procurement delays, would be 2028–2030.
