San Diego's New Terminal 1: A Spacious, Beach-Inspired Gateway

So. Much. Space.

That was the No. 1 reaction at the new Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport on Sunday, as thousands streamed in to see it before it fully opens Sept. 23.

Years of planning, design and construction have transformed the terminal from a vision into around a million square feet of space that people will use, experience and move through. And move they did: They swiveled in the swivel chairs, explored the sunny second-floor terrace and wandered around taking pictures and appreciating how much airier and prettier it is than its predecessor.

“The space, the color, the vibe. It does feel beachy. The floor, it kind of reminds me of sand,” said Robert Voces, 53, of Clairemont, as he glanced at the warm tone terrazzo flooring. He especially liked the lofty ceilings and the commissioned art installation near the security zone, created by Nova Jiang, which he said looks like “floating metal” until you step back and see the piece as a whole: a cluster of Torrey pine trees.

His husband, Keith Kilby, praised the pet relief area. Their dog, an 80-pound lab mix rescue, doesn’t fly with them, but Kilby evaluated the room, which has a fire hydrant, fake grass, a low drinking fountain and a sink, with the eye of a dog dad. “The size of it, and there’s also a good place to clean up,” he said.

He also liked that there is a single security checkpoint, not two or three, which he expects will make things easier.

That security area is close to the check-in booths and counters, near the entrances.

“It’s so open. … This is a huge improvement for travelers,” Kilby added.

Denise Krane, 48, of Del Mar, arrived at 8 a.m. and was first to line up, along with her mother, Ursula.

“We just wanted to come see it because it’s been going up for so long, and the original Terminal 1 looks a little tired,” she said.

Others had sharper words for the old terminal, which will be torn down soon.

“Tight. Tight. Tight,” said Kelly Gagne, of Rancho Bernardo.

“Terminal 1 bathrooms were disgusting,” Voces said. He called the new bathrooms, which have roomy stalls and vivid colors, “amazing.”

Details that jumped out to other people: the high number of baggage carousels, the copious charging ports, the freshness of the guacamole at Tony Hawk’s restaurant Novecientos Grados, the natural colors, the inviting terrace.

“I feel like they could probably scream a little bit out here if they need to, or something,” said Christopher Adrian, 36, the dad of a 3-year-old boy who was relaxing on a rocking chair on the terrace. (He also has a baby, who was not at the open house.) Adrian used to avoid Terminal 1 because it was too crowded. He and his family will now make a point of booking with Southwest, which flies out of Terminal 1.

Porter Allington, 18, of Encinitas, was a rare voice that expressed nostalgia for the old terminal. He is disappointed it will be torn down. He made memories there. “It also just feels like an old airport from the ’80s jet age. This just feels like any other new airport,” he said.

Allington said he is an AvGeek, or aviation geek, and that is what drew him to the open house. He noticed some design elements that evoke planes, including airplane wing forms on the ceilings.

He is pleased with the new structure.

“It’s a lot more open and spacious than the old terminal, and it seems like it’ll be a great upgrade,” Allington said.

Around 5,000 people attended the event, with several hundred lined up before the doors opened, said airport spokesperson Nicole Hall.

Normally, people go into airports for one of three reasons: they’re coming, they’re going or they’re working. On Sunday, there were as many reasons as there were people. There was the world traveler who wanted to see how this compares to other airports. There was the foodie who was excited San Diego brands are being featured in the terminal’s restaurants. Some were curious what a state-of-the-art airport terminal looks like, especially one that cost $3.8 billion.

One woman asked why so much was invested in building a new terminal, when the airport still only has one runway. (SAN is the busiest single-runway airport in the U.S. A record 25.24 million passengers flew through its terminals last year.)

And, of course, there were very many lovers of airplanes, who stepped right up to the floor-to-ceiling windows to watch them taxi and lift off.

“He would stand there for hours if we let him. So, perfect for delays,” Gagne said of her toddler son.

As the terminal filled up, it started to feel more real, said Jonathan Heller, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s communications director.

“I won’t say it gave me chills, but it’s like, ‘Wow! It’s like a real airport terminal now, because people are in it, and they’re eating food, and they’re looking outside the windows at the planes and everything,’ ” Heller said. “So it’s just one step closer to this all becoming real, which we’ve been working toward for more than 10 years.”

Still, the user experience on Sunday was very different from what it will be like starting Sept. 23. No one was frantic. No luggage to keep track of. Free food. A jazz duo made it feel like cocktail hour.

An hour after she entered the new terminal, Denise Krane, the first member of the public to set foot inside, was on the terrace, taking in the views.

“It’s just very nicely laid out and pleasant, and I can imagine it’s going to be a more peaceful experience than in the past,” she said, to sum up her opinion of the new space.

Her mother, Ursula Krane, first flew into the airport’s only terminal in 1973.

“I see big improvement,” she said. “It wasn’t even Terminal 1. It was the terminal.” That fit San Diego’s far smaller population back then, she added.

How much the new terminal will be able to maintain that “peaceful experience” will be seen when it opens later this month to travelers.