Flight delays and cancellations at San Francisco International Airport continue this week after crews began repairing the base layer of a runway over the weekend.
Since Saturday, 800 flights have been delayed and 375 cancelled, according to SFO spokesman Doug Yakel.
As of Monday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration’s website reported some arriving flights may “be delayed an average of 3 hours and 45 minutesâ due to the ongoing reconstruction.
âThe vast majority of those are flights that were cancelled in advance of this closure, those are still some day-of cancellations that we’re seeing, but most of those occurred in advance, in anticipation of this project,â Yakel said.
Why is this happening?
Runway 28L, SFO’s second-longest runway, has been showing signs of wear and tear where it intersects with two other runways. This area is the busiest section of the airport’s runway system, and more than 68% of flights crossed over it in 2018, according to SFO’s website.
Deep pavement repair requires two of the airport’s four runways to be closed at all times and is typically only done twice a century, according to Yakel.
But this isn’t the first time SFO has repaired this runway in recent years. In 2017, the airport repaved its entire top layer, which should last 8-10 years, but discovered the base layer’s fatigue during the process.
After additional investigation, airport staff decided the best solution would be to excavate a 1,900-foot section of the runway to ensure long-term reliability.
The runway will be closed for 20 days, and the airport is expected to resume normal operations on Sept. 27.
The project team selected the three-week time period from Sept. 6-27 after input from airlines at SFO, hoping to avoid busy summer and holiday travel seasons. The time period also has a low probability for rain, which could affect the asphalt paving.
Travelers sit on a bench at San Francisco International Airport on September 9, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
How can you avoid flight delays or cancellations?
If you’ve already booked a flight at SFO during the next several weeks, you can ask your airline about a fee waiver to reschedule your flight.
United Airlines is already offering fee waivers for travelers to change their flights or connect in a different city.
Naturally, travelers on Twitter started expressing their frustration within the first few days of the reconstruction.
Mike on Twitter Hey @AmericanAir, would have been nice to know when purchasing tickets to SFO that runways were set to be closed. Beyond frustrated right now. 3+ hour delays.
Jeanette Garretty on Twitter @AlaskaAir @flySFO @FlyFAA_SFO a SIX HOUR delay , getting in at 1:03am Monday morning ??!! Really, you couldn’t have let me know about this Saturday, via your handy dandy app? Or maybe via the same text where you just told me the new schedule? No apology from anyone?
Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter Literally in the middle of editing a story about why delays are so common at SFO and I get an email that my 5 p.m. flight is now leaving at 7:30.
If you can’t avoid a trip between now and Sept. 27, it might be a better idea to fly out of another major Bay Area airport such as Oakland or San Jose.
For travelers who must fly out of SFO, the airport suggests you book an early morning flight before 9:00 a.m. for the best chance at avoiding long delays.
KQED’s Sara Hossaini contributed to this report.
Copyright 2019 KQED