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The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) has released our 2020-2021 Sustainability Report which can be viewed at sustain.san.org. The Sustainability Report serves as a useful barometer for San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) relationship to the environment, the traveling public, its stakeholders, and the greater San Diego community.

San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) Arts Program is happy to unveil of the Make Yourself at Home exhibition located throughout Terminal 2 pre-and-post security.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority cares about the environment and our community. That’s why we partner with I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) to participate and encourage participation in their clean-up days. This year, Coastal Cleanup Day is September 18, and the Airport Authority is rallying employees, partners, and the community to join our cleanup group! 

Ground support equipment, or GSE, is used to serve aircraft between flights. If you’ve ever looked out the plane window while the plane is still parked at the gate, you’ve seen GSE methodically moving around the tarmac and plane, facilitating various services like cargo and passenger baggage loading and unloading, and pushing the airplane back from the gate. GSE is a very important part of airport and airline operations as it helps ensure everything that is needed to get the plane back in the sky is accomplished in a safe and timely manner.  

O, Canada, “The Great White North.” Spanning 3.86 million square miles, our neighbor to the north is home to amazing sights, sounds, sports, food, and people. If you’ve ever enjoyed maple syrup, it likely came from Canada as they produce more than half of the world’s supply of it. Canada has some of the best locations to view the Northern Lights depending on the season. And sports, well ice hockey keeps Canadians busy all year long.

You may be familiar with the term “zero waste,” but have you heard of “low waste” before? Living a low waste lifestyle means lowering your environmental impact by reducing the amount of waste you produce. While “zero waste” is a specific industry term that requires a 90 percent diversion rate (making sure that 90 percent of the material you no longer need goes to reuse, recycling, or compost instead of to landfill), low waste takes a more flexible, spectrum approach.

If this weather is any indication, summer is officially here. The SAN Airport Planning & Environmental team has some sustainable summer habits for you to try.

For anyone who has made the grueling drive from San Diego to Santa Barbara, you’ll understand when I say going through Los Angeles traffic, no matter what time of day, is umm…horrible. Lucky for us, Alaska Airlines begins daily nonstop service to Santa Barbara via Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) from San Diego International Airport (SAN) today! 

June 15, 2021. It might not be a day that lives in infamy but, it is certainly a day that Californians have been waiting for since Governor Gavin Newsom announced that was the target reopening date. California’s reopening means the tiered restrictions that were in place will be removed in many settings and life will closely resemble what it was like pre-COVID-19. However, at San Diego International Airport (SAN) it’s still business as usual and we still have to abide by a few federally mandated rules. If you are traveling anytime in the future, these are the guidelines still in place while on airport property:

If you’ve ever arrived at SAN and asked for directions to our ground transportation or rental car center, you’ve probably talked to one of our friendly Volunteer Airport Ambassadors.

If you are planning a get-a-way, we want to tell you that it’s getting busier at the airport

Here at SAN, we think it’s pretty special that the California Least Tern, an endangered migratory seabird, nest here every year. The California Least Tern is listed under both the federal and California State Endangered Species Act since 1972. 

After being told for more than a year to stay home and only associate with those in your household, it’s no wonder people are eager to travel. With vaccines being administered to thousands of people a day, we are finally on our way to recovery. 

Happy National Bike Month! Biking is a viable, fun, and healthy transportation choice that gets you out of a car and provides an opportunity to be active. This month, challenge yourself to hop on a bike and get GOing.

While the airline’s focus over the past year has undoubtedly been on safety, it has found small ways to make a big impact on the travel experience. 

Picking up passengers at the San Diego International Airport? Avoid driving in circles and park in the airport’s Cell Phone Lot free of charge. Beginning Saturday, May 8, this temporary way-station will reopen and offer approximately 100 parking spaces for drivers to park and wait for arriving passengers. The airport Cell Phone Lot closed in April 2020 when state and county health and safety orders increased and passenger volumes decreased with the spread of COVID-19.

For the past 16 years, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has sponsored and participated in I Love a Clean San Diego’s (ILACSD) Creek to Bay Cleanup. If you aren’t familiar with ILACSD, their mission is to lead and inspire the community to actively conserve and enhance the environment through example, outreach, and local involvement. Their vision is a zero waste, litter-free, and environmentally engaged San Diego region. These ideals go hand in hand with the Airport Authority’s, as well as many of our dedicated employees and each year, several Airport Authority employees participate in the effort.

The Airport Traffic Officers’ job is far more than simply directing traffic. They are often the first point of contact at the airport.

In July 2017, San Diego International Airport (SAN) introduced our SAN Green Concessions program which rewards and recognizes airport concessionaires that help reduce water and energy use, minimize waste, and educate their staff and consumers on what green business is all about.

Just in time for spring break, Alaska Airlines began its first nonstop flight between Missoula, Mont. via Missoula International Airport (MSO) and SAN today. This is the first time SAN will have daily, nonstop service to Missoula.

Whether you’re looking for a quick bite, sit-down meal, travel essentials, or local gifts, many of our shops and restaurants are open and ready to serve you. 

It’s bound to happen. You pack your bags, check it twice, but somewhere between your home and final destination, you lost a thing or two. Could be something small or something large, but somehow it just disappeared.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, which operates San Diego International Airport (SAN), is governed by a nine-member Board whose members are appointed by elected officials representing all areas of San Diego County. This year, we are welcoming a new Board Chair and four new Board members who are replacing members whose three-year terms have ended. With the new appointments, the Airport Authority Board is now comprised of regional leaders including five women and four men.

New nonstop routes are always exciting but, what we love even more is gaining new nonstop routes to cities that aren’t currently available from SAN. So when Allegiant recently announced that SAN will gain seasonal nonstop service to five new cities as soon as May…well, let’s just say we are jumping for joy.

SAN is known and loved for a few special attributes, like its abundance of natural light, relaxed atmosphere, and diverse mix of shops and restaurants. But SAN also has some unusual features that may surprise you.

Konnichiwa! We are excited that Japan Airlines has announced they will resume nonstop service to Tokyo, Japan via Narita International Airport (NRT) from San Diego International Airport (SAN) three times a week. The first arrival into San Diego will be on March 2 and the first departure from San Diego on March 3.

What is normally a busy travel time, this December is looking quite different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 13, 2020, the California Department of Public Health issued a travel advisory for non-essential travel (side note: what’s essential vs. non-essential travel you ask? Click here to learn more) which requests that persons arriving in California from other states or countries should practice self-quarantining for 14 days after arrival. In addition, Californians are encouraged to stay home or in their region and avoid non-essential travel to other states or countries.

Oh, how we miss the excitement of holiday travel! December is typically a very busy month for our airport, when the terminals are filled with passengers eager to visit friends and family all over the world. This year many of us are staying home and finding creative ways to stay connected to the people and places that matter most.

Every year we work on compiling a Sustainability Report which re-affirms our commitment to continuous improvement and transparency in social, economic, and environmental performance. We have released our 2019-2020 Sustainability Report which can be viewed at sustain.san.org.

During the pandemic, there has been a great deal of emphasis on air circulation and its relation to COVID-19. All HVAC systems at San Diego International Airport (SAN) were designed to meet American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards for ventilation for indoor air quality. Our systems meet or exceed industry filtration standards, meaning we filter the air at a recommended level between “Superior Commercial Buildings” and “Hospital Inpatient Care.” Additionally, 60 percent of air handlers installed in the airport contain ultraviolet light which provides extra protection to kill bacteria and viruses.

In 2015, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) launched The Good Traveler program at San Diego International Airport (SAN) to provide an easy, affordable, and meaningful way for interested passengers to make their travel more sustainable. Through the program, individuals can purchase carbon offsets online, at select terminal concessions, and through the airport parking reservation and payment system with proceeds going toward conservation projects that help counteract the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Since launching five years ago, the program now includes 17 participating airports in North America that have collectively offset nearly 670 million miles of travel.

Here at San Diego International Airport (SAN), there are certain destinations that we would love to include on our nonstop destination list. Those routes are ones that we don’t currently offer and would allow for our community to access locations without having to connect or fly from regional hubs. Cancún, Mexico is one of those routes. Our air service team has been trying to get service to Cancún for quite some time (a couple of years at least, but hey, who’s counting) and Alaska Airlines finally came through for the win when they announced they would begin seasonal service on November 20.

For those who will be traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday, here are some tips to ensure you have a safe and seamless journey...

It’s that time of the year when much of the country wishes they could escape from winter. We Southern Californians, though, seek out the cold and snow on purpose. If you need a break from the endless summer, we’ve got flights to several of the country’s top winter destinations, including Jackson Hole, Salt Lake City, and Denver. All three locations boast stunning mountain ranges where you can sled, ski, or snowball to your heart’s content. 

It’s been a little over a year since Southwest Airlines announced they would offer nonstop service to Hawaii from San Diego International Airport (SAN). The service, which was originally slated to begin in April 2020, was postponed because of…you guessed it…COVID-19. 

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) is making great strides in achieving our stormwater management goals through the development of an innovative stormwater capture and reuse system. The system will allow San Diego International Airport (SAN) to meet important regulatory requirements and reduce potable water consumption, making the airport more resilient to future climate and regulatory changes. There are four existing elements of the stormwater capture and reuse system, and four proposed elements. The four proposed elements are a part of the Airport Development Plan (ADP) which includes the Airside Improvements Project, the first project of the ADP that focuses on airside infrastructure such as the aircraft taxiways and apron.

Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold air travel looks and feels a lot different for those that must pass through airports and board airlines during this time. Each day brings new insight and knowledge about COVID-19 and how best to ensure the health and safety of everyone around the world. It is with this knowledge that airports and airlines have been implementing best practices when it comes to cleaning, social distancing, and facial coverings.

When it comes to traveling during a pandemic, we all have different comfort levels. Some of us are traveling regularly, with an abundance of caution. Others are planning and booking their next adventure, while some of us are still dreaming up our next getaway. We get it. And we want you to know no matter where you are in your travel planning, we’re ready for you.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates the San Diego International Airport (SAN), is excited to participate in a celebration of two very important environmental days on October 7^th, California Clean Air Day and Energy Efficiency Day.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has long been a partner of I Love A Clean San Diego and has participated in many of their annual events. On Saturday, September 26, a dozen Airport Authority employees individually participated in the 36^th annual virtual I Love a Clean San Diego Coastal Cleanup Day. The event is a major part of International Coastal Cleanup, which is facilitated by The Ocean Conservancy and includes many U.S. states and territories, and over 70 countries. In California, Coastal Cleanup Day is a partnership between the California Coastal Commission, nonprofit groups, cities and counties throughout the state.

The San Diego International Airport (SAN) Arts Program includes performing arts, public art, and temporary exhibition components which are aimed at engaging travelers and creating an ambiance unique to the culture of San Diego. The Arts Program is pleased to announce the 2020 Fall Performing Arts Resident Artist, Margaret Noble and her featured work [Sky][Muse], as well as the debut of a new piece of work in the Admiral Boland Way mural series, Plein Air Port by Aaron Glasson.

Running September 9 through 13, 2020, San Diego Design Week (SDDW) celebrates interdisciplinary design in San Diego through talks, studio tours, workshops, and self-guided tours. The SAN Arts Program will be participating in SDDW by showcasing its diverse programming in performing arts, exhibitions and public art.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently completed a case study on the San Diego International Airport’s efforts to pursue “Zero Waste,” which is defined as 90 percent or more of waste being diverted from landfills through recycling, reuse, composting, and other means. 

Since 1970, San Diego International Airport (SAN) has provided a protected habitat for the California Least Tern, a migrating seabird who, as a full-grown adult, only weighs 1.6 ounces. To the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and the airport’s many contractors and tenants, as well as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Port of San Diego, and the U.S. Navy, these small birds are a big deal due to the fact that they are a federally listed endangered seabird species.

San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) is committed to building an enduring and resilient enterprise by effectively managing its financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities. The Airport Authority recognizes the complex link between energy performance and the security of the airport enterprise and are keenly aware that this interdependence warrants a bold vision and strategy to ensure sustainability into the future.

For the last 16 years, the Quieter Home Program (QHP) has sound attenuated more than 4,300 homes in the most impacted areas around our airport; hundreds of staff, consultants, and contractors have interacted with thousands of homeowners in these neighborhoods…primarily in person. So how does a program that normally thrives on daily one-on-one personal interaction survive a pandemic and continue moving forward? Virtually, of course.

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) awarded San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) with an Environmental Achievement Award in the area of outreach, education, and communication for the organization’s Airport Development Plan (ADP) outreach efforts.

The world looks a lot different than it did just a few months ago. Our communities, businesses, and shops have changed. The way we visit restaurants, purchase groceries, and go from place to place would be unrecognizable to our 6-months-ago selves. Even our vocabularies have changed. Never did we imagine finding so much comfort in the words “Plexiglas sneeze guards” or “social distancing markers.”