SFO Runway Construction Halfway Done -- Delays Should Ease

The San Francisco International Airport construction that closed a runway Saturday, causing thousands of delays and cancellations, is 48 hours ahead of schedule, the airport announced Thursday.

SFO will reopen one part of the runway under construction for use on Saturday, which should ease flight interruptions and could shorten the project.

“We’re currently trending towards a completion date earlier than Sept. 27,” airport spokesman Doug Yakel said in an email Thursday.

More than 2,000 flights have been delayed or canceled since construction started Saturday, with some passengers stranded overnight. Thursday, 223 flights were delayed and 83 canceled by midday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

The fast progress on repairs was cold comfort to Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, who was among those inconvenienced by flight delays and reroutings.

“It’s a nightmare for everyone who uses SFO,” she said in an email Thursday. “I’m flying into San Jose tonight. I will change planes in Denver. A flight that is normally 5 hours will clock in for me at 9 hours to get home.”

Speier said she had spoken to Ivar Satero, the airport’s director, about the issue: “I hope SFO is doing everything it can to speed up the process.”

Yakel said crews had no choice but to close and repair Runway 28L after airport engineers in 2017 discovered deteriorating pavement on the 1960s-era runway. The federally funded project is expected to cost $16.2 million.

Construction, announced six months ago, was planned for Sept. 7- 27 to avoid the busy summer and year-end holiday travel season and guarantee dry weather. Airlines voluntarily reduced their flight schedules by 13% in anticipation of the construction.

Since the runway was closed early Saturday morning, crews have been working 24 hours a day. Work crews have found that the soil under the runway is stable, which reduces the amount of digging needed.

The airport will reopen the section of Runway 28L that intersects with Runway 1R Saturday morning and transition to the second phase of the project, rehabilitating the area where Runway 28L intersects with Runway 1L.

The number of delays should drop, the airport said. That’s because Runway 1R is 1,000 feet longer than 1L, allowing more aircraft to use it for takeoff. This will allow Runway 28R to handle more arriving flights than during the first phase of construction.

Weather conditions had previously worsened delays, the airport said, including wind conditions that limited runway use further.

SFO still advises travelers to continue to expect delays and potential cancellations and recommends that travelers contact their airline directly for updates.

Airlines said they are alerting passengers, waiving change fees, and rescheduling or rerouting flights.

United, which accounts for 45% of traffic at SFO, offered waivers that would let passengers change flights or connect through a different airport without paying a change fee during the three-week construction. The airline is alerting customers 48 hours before their travel about delays and informing those who make new bookings. It was also diverting some flights to San Jose and introduced a larger 777 aircraft between SFO and LAX to reduce flights.

American Airlines, which operated 8% of SFO flights last year, issued a travel alert and let customers whose flights were canceled or rescheduled make additional changes or request a refund without additional fees.

Southwest issued a general travel alert on its website and is offering flexible accommodations to change to other Northern California destinations.

JetBlue is alerting customers about construction 24 hours before travel and posted a general travel alert. It has also rerouted a flight from Long Beach to Oakland.

Alaska Airlines, the second-largest SFO operator, is not offering travel waivers but said it is closely monitoring the impact of the runway work and will make adjustments if needed.

Airlines said they would not cover the cost of hotel accommodations if travelers are stuck because the airport construction is out of their control.

Chronicle staff writer Tal Kopan contributed to this report.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

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