54 million passengers a year and United's Pacific hub: the Valley flying out, the buyers flying in, and JPM, RSAC, and Dreamforce in between. Get the SFO media kit for formats, planning ranges, and booking windows. As a single-source airport media agency, we’ll follow up to learn who you need to reach, then come back with current availability and a recommended mix.
You’re in good company
At a glance
SFO handled about 54.4 million passengers in 2025, up about 4%, with roughly 16 million international. July was the busiest month. United carried 43.8% of the airport; Delta, American, and Alaska carried 6–7% each.
It is a hub, not a pure origin-and-destination airport. United’s Terminal 3 and Concourse G carry connecting traffic between Asia-Pacific and the rest of the U.S. as well as Bay Area travelers. Baggage claim and the curb reach only people who are actually in San Francisco; the concourses reach everyone.
Four terminals, and the plan starts with the airline: United in Terminal 3 (domestic) and International Terminal G; Alaska, Hawaiian, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and the rest of the non-United domestic mix in Harvey Milk Terminal 1; Air Canada, Breeze, and WestJet in Terminal 2 as of SFO’s March 2026 relocation notices; other international carriers in International Terminal A. Assignments move — confirm the current flysfo map at contract.
Two conference seasons drive the B2B calendar: January through April (JPM Healthcare, GDC, RSAC April 5–8, 2027, GTC, Google I/O) and September through November (Dreamforce September 21–23, 2027; Disrupt October 13–15, 2026). The rest of the year is business travel in both directions: the Bay Area’s tech, biotech, and finance workforce flying out and the buyers, partners, and investors flying in to meet them.
Planning ranges: a single print unit runs $6,000–$70,000 per 28-day period plus production — ticketing dioramas at the low end, concourse eye-level next, overhead banners and banner packages at the top; a single digital spectacular or network $20,000–$150,000 per period. Two- or three-unit plans run $60,000–$250,000 per period. Rates rose roughly a fifth between the 2025 and 2026 cards; multi-period contracts carry annual increases.
Sold in 28-day periods. Conference flights have a two-week minimum: one week and two weeks cost the same at SFO, unlike Las Vegas. Holds expire five business days after confirmation. Contracts are non-cancellable once signed. Digital creative is due 14–18 business days before start, and static creative 21–28 days before start. Terminal 3’s western half is under construction through fall 2027; ask for current photos on any T3 unit.
Start your SFO plan
Three ways to start, depending on where you are.
What you can run
Individual video walls sold by terminal and concourse, the two-story Iconic wall in Terminal 1, the international Arrivals Digital Network, and one of the deepest print programs of any U.S. airport. Every digital spot is ten seconds; the terminal your audience’s airlines use decides which units reach them.
Digital unit
Overhead in Terminal 3 Concourse E, visible from the far end of the concourse; United arrivals and departures
Digital unit
Overhead at the three-way intersection of Concourse F, where the concourses meet the food court, retail, and the corridor to arrivals and baggage claim
Digital unit
A two-story, floor-to-ceiling wall in the central area of Harvey Milk Terminal 1 Concourse B, just past security, beside the lounge and the concessions
Digital unit
Individual walls at security checkpoints and busy concourses across Terminals 1, 2, 3, and the International Terminal. Sold by location, not as an airport-wide network
Digital network
Twelve screens on the baggage carousels in the International Terminal
Tension fabric at every scale: eye-level units in the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 baggage claim (American, JetBlue, Alaska, Hawaiian arrivals), soffit units over the Terminal 1 exit to the garage and rideshare, lit units and dioramas in the Terminal 2 baggage claim and on the walk to the AirTrain (Delta, Air Canada, Breeze), a vertical unit across from United’s baggage carousel, gate-hold units on Concourse F at F11–F14, a lit spectacular and two eye-level units at United’s Terminal 3 security queue, an upper-soffit unit in the Concourse C gate hold near the Sky Club, a diorama across from the Star Alliance lounge on Concourse G, and a large soffit unit in the connector between Terminal 3 and Concourse G aimed at connecting passengers. Media runs $6,000–$70,000 per period; production, installation, and removal add $200–$2,500 per install. On the lower end that is dioramas in the ticketing area, then eye-level signage in the concourses; the more expensive units are overhead banners and banner packages. Static creative is due 21–28 days before start.
Every digital unit runs static and motion, and every spot is ten seconds. A :100 loop puts you in front of the passenger once every 100 seconds, a :240 loop once every four minutes. At international baggage claim, where arriving passengers wait through customs lines and carousel delays, a :240 loop still delivers several exposures per passenger. On a concourse, where the exposure is a walk past, a :100 loop is the difference between being seen and not.
The western half of Terminal 3 is a $2.6 billion modernization site through fall 2027: seismic retrofit, an expanded security checkpoint, 200,000 square feet of new concessions space. Gates, queues, and sightlines are moving. Ask for current photos of any T3 unit before committing, and confirm the security-queue units are on the checkpoint your audience will actually use during your period. This is the kind of thing an independent buyer asks about and a rate card does not volunteer.
The digital, static, experiential, and exterior units brands buy in airports. For SFO we plan specific units and dates against what is open at the time.
Digital screens and video walls in airline business club lounges reach affluent business decision-makers and high-net-worth travelers in a captive setting.
Travelers often spend 90 minutes or more in the club. Screens in dining and seated areas and larger video walls (about 84–100 inches) give the brand both frequency and a dominant face.
Full motion or static creative can rotate through the loop while the audience is already seated.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Target high-level decision-makers and affluent individuals with entrance banners in airport business club lounges.
Engage with a discerning audience in a premium, brand-safe environment.
Showcase innovations for business-to-business brands or emphasize luxury for high-end brands.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Baggage claim digital network screens provide a unique opportunity to connect with travelers at a prime moment.
Strategically placed in high-traffic areas throughout the baggage claim area, these screens ensure maximum exposure for your brand.
By using baggage claim digital network screens, you can deliver your message to travelers multiple times, building frequency and driving engagement.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Packages can range in screen size and quantity. Strategically positioned throughout central airport concourses.
These screens can target 100% of arriving and departing traffic as passengers move towards airport exits and a large percentage of departing traffic as passengers move through the concourses and frequent favorite concessions in the area.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Large format banners offer a large, eye-catching space that can capture the attention of everyone walking through the airport.
They can be strategically placed on walls or hung from ceilings throughout the airport, ensuring maximum exposure for your brand.
With large format banners, you have the opportunity to own 100% of the share of voice in that area.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Experiential advertising at airports lets the brand interact with a captive audience through immersive installations.
Activations can include brand ambassadors, tech-focused displays, and product sampling.
Exhibit space is the same idea: a physical footprint where travelers can engage face-to-face.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Digital charging network screens are a highly effective advertising tool for brand marketers looking to reach a captive audience of travelers.
Travelers engage with the screens while charging devices, which adds dwell to the impression.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Digital spectacular screens offer a powerful advertising tool to capture significant attention in airports.
Strategically located in high-traffic areas, these screens provide maximum visibility and impact for your brand.
With their attention-grabbing size and creative flexibility, digital spectacular screens hold the attention of travelers and drive engagement.
* Differs depending on the airport.
By using digital network screens, you can deliver your message to travelers multiple times throughout their journey.
Strategically placed in high-traffic areas, these screens ensure maximum exposure for your brand.
These screens build frequency and drive engagement, making them an effective advertising option.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Dioramas are backlit displays at eye level in corridors and holdrooms.
They offer a lit, poster-scale face with 100% share of voice on that unit.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Leverage exterior signage to engage airport visitors as they arrive or depart, keeping the brand visible on the campus.
High-impact banners on the building or approach create a lasting impression before travelers enter the terminal.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Flight information screens are some of the most frequently viewed screens in the airport, where passengers already look for gate and time updates.
Advertising on these screens puts the message next to information travelers are actively reading.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Jet bridge wraps put the brand on the walk between gate and aircraft.
The space is captive and sequential: every boarded passenger on that gate walks the length of the wrap.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Large format digital screens offer a unique opportunity to make a lasting impression on travelers.
These screens have the wow factor needed to capture your target audience's attention and inspire them to engage with your brand.
Large format digital screens offer creative flexibility to showcase your brand's messaging and art in a way that resonates with your target audience.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Large format banners offer a large, eye-catching space that can capture the attention of everyone walking through the airport.
They can be strategically placed on walls or hung from ceilings throughout the airport, ensuring maximum exposure for your brand.
With large format banners, you have the opportunity to own 100% of the share of voice in that area.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Mini-spectaculars are smaller spectacular units that still dominate a sightline without a full-wall takeover.
They own share of voice on that face and work in tighter terminal pockets.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Exterior digital billboards at the airport engage a wide mix of travelers on the approach and campus roads.
Creative on digital billboards can run full motion or static.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Large format banners offer a large, eye-catching space that can capture the attention of everyone walking through the airport.
An overhead banner package is sequenced across multiple faces so the brand owns a stretch of the travel journey and a specific airport area, which is what creates the wow effect.
They can be placed on walls or hung from ceilings, with 100% share of voice in that zone.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Spectaculars are large-format displays built for a single dominant face in a high-traffic terminal space.
With the ability to own 100% of the share of voice, your message is the only one being seen by travelers in that area.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Tension fabric displays are a visually stunning way to showcase your brand or product in the airport.
They command attention in a crowded terminal and offer a cost-effective way to reach a large audience.
With tension fabric displays, you have the opportunity to own 100% of the share of voice in that area.
* Differs depending on the airport.
By advertising on airport security trays, the brand reaches travelers during an essential part of the departing journey.
Every passenger who uses that lane handles the tray.
* Differs depending on the airport.
By using vertical digital network screens, you can deliver your message to travelers multiple times throughout their journey.
These are vertical units with a different view profile: most sit at eye level and read with a poster feel.
Strategically placed in high-traffic areas, they build frequency as passengers walk the concourse.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Video walls are strategically positioned in high-traffic areas of the airport, ensuring maximum visibility and engagement for your brand.
These high-impact screens provide maximum visibility for your brand, making a lasting impression on travelers.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Wall wraps offer a visually striking and modern way to showcase your brand in the airport, with the ability to customize them to your brand.
Strategically placed in high-traffic areas, wall wraps capture attention and own 100% of the share of voice on that surface.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Sponsoring Wi-Fi access at airports engages travelers on their personal devices.
Call-to-action pages can be video or static, which is what turns access into a media placement.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Window wraps offer a visually striking and modern way to showcase your brand on terminal glass, with the ability to customize them to your brand.
Strategically placed on windows in high-traffic areas, they capture attention from the interior walkway or the curb and own 100% of the share of voice on that glass.
* Differs depending on the airport.
Examples
Airport advertising in practice, photographed across many airports. Availability at SFO varies by format.
Real brands. Real campaigns.
Campaigns across several countries and media owners, each bought through one contract. Swipe or use the arrows for the markets, the scope, and the result.
U.S. + Canada
Multiple media owners.
One coordinated buy.
EAM brought a U.S. and Canada airport campaign together across multiple media owners.
Five continents
Different markets.
One media partner.
Large-format digital and screen networks across five continents, including London, Paris, Tokyo, and São Paulo.
Airports + airline lounges
Airports and lounges.
One coordinated plan.
A combined airport and airline-lounge presence across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.
Five U.S. airports
A year of visibility.
One coordinated rollout.
EAM bought year-long security-tray takeovers across five major U.S. airports.
Latin America
Four airports.
One regional campaign.
EAM planned digital and physical branding across Buenos Aires, Santiago, Bogotá, and Mexico City.
San Jose · SJC
One airport.
A complete takeover.
EAM coordinated a full San Jose airport takeover across digital displays and all 760 security trays.
Airline lounges · 7 U.S. cities
Executive education.
Reached in the lounge.
EAM planned and executed a lounge campaign for Wharton Executive Education in United, Delta, and American clubs across Philadelphia, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, and San Diego.
4 markets · Year-round
Four markets.
A full year on screen.
EAM built a year-round enrollment campaign on airport digital video: always on in Salt Lake City, rotating through Dallas, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
U.S. + Spain
An album launch.
Two countries at once.
For the Saturno release, EAM planned and executed airport advertising in Miami, New York, Chicago, Madrid, and Barcelona, plus an in-flight buy across the JetBlue fleet.
“EAM made a nationwide airport campaign feel much easier to manage. The team was responsive, organized, and always on top of the details. They helped us make smart decisions with the budget, kept everything moving, and ultimately delivered exactly what we were looking for.”
Chief Marketing OfficerFortinet · nationwide airport campaign“This was one of the most challenging campaigns we had ever managed, launching during COVID and the unprecedented freeze in air travel. EAM was an incredible partner throughout the entire process. They worked closely with the airports and media partners to protect our placements and ensure our space was held until travel resumed. Their persistence, communication, and attention to detail made an extremely difficult situation manageable. Without EAM, navigating this campaign would have been a nightmare.”
Chief Marketing OfficerInvest in Canada · airports and airline lounges“We ran a security tray advertising program across several key airports, and EAM was a tremendous partner throughout the process. Their team helped secure the space, manage renewals, and coordinate the campaign seamlessly from start to finish.”
Chief Executive OfficerFlexispot · security tray programThese examples show past EAM campaigns—not a minimum campaign size, a forecast, or a guarantee of results. One-airport briefs are welcome, too.
Cost
$6,000–$70,000 per 28-day period for a single print unit, plus $200–$2,500 for production, installation, and removal. On the lower end that is dioramas in the ticketing area, then eye-level signage in the concourses; the more expensive units are overhead banners and banner packages. $20,000–$150,000 per period for a single digital spectacular. The only digital network at SFO is international baggage claim. $60,000–$250,000 for a two- or three-unit plan. A one-week campaign and a two-week campaign cost the same, so conference flights book two weeks minimum — unlike Las Vegas. Those are planning ranges, not a rate card.
SFO is sold in 28-day periods. Conference flights have a two-week minimum: one week and two weeks cost the same at SFO, unlike Las Vegas. A brand that only needs the conference burst books two weeks; a brand that wants the period books the period.
What a budget buys at SFO
Planning ranges per 28-day period. Pick the one closest to your brief and we’ll build the plan from it.
A single print unit
A single digital spectacular
A two- or three-unit plan
These are planning ranges, not packages or a rate card. Actual plans depend on the terminal, the period, and what is open when you book.
28-day periods. Conference flights: two-week minimum; one week and two weeks cost the same. Non-cancellable once signed. Holds expire in five business days. All creative subject to airport authority approval before posting; digital creative is due 14–18 business days before start and static creative 21–28 days before start. Annual rate increases on multi-year agreements. Proof of performance within five business days of posting: close-up and environmental photos of every print location; a 10% sample of locations plus stacked-content photos for digital networks. Competitive separation between print and digital may be possible, but it isn’t guaranteed, and separation within a network is at the concession’s discretion. If category exclusivity matters, ask when booking and write it into the contract.
Two things about SFO pricing a first-time buyer should know. The unit prices are high because the audience is: the concourse walls in Terminal 3 reach United’s business traffic and the Iconic wall reaches every Concourse B passenger, and both are priced like it. And the print program is unusually deep. Most large airports have moved to digital; SFO still sells tension fabric at eye level in gate holds, in security queues, in baggage claims, and in the T3–G connector, with production costs in the hundreds of dollars rather than thousands. For a brand that wants a fixed message in front of one airline’s passengers for a period, print at SFO is the efficient buy.
Unit rates, loop-position premiums, and period-specific quotes. Those numbers move with availability and with the period. What you can plan against: 28-day periods; $6,000–$70,000 for a single print unit plus production (ticketing dioramas at the low end, concourse eye-level next, overhead banners and banner packages at the top); $20,000–$150,000 for a single digital spectacular; $60,000–$250,000 for a two- or three-unit plan. The only digital network at SFO is the International Arrivals Digital Network in international baggage claim. Specific units and periods come back as a quote.
Rather than a rate card, the table shows how the digital inventory is structured: where each unit reaches people, how many screens, and what your spot looks like inside the loop.
| Unit or network | Where it reaches them | Screens | Your spot in the loop | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concourse E Video Wall | Overhead in Terminal 3 Concourse E, visible from the far end of the concourse; United arrivals and departures | 1 wall, about 175″ × 50″ | :10 in :100, one of ten, about 10% share of voice | United’s domestic traffic on the E side; the business traveler on the way in and out |
| Terminal 3 Video Wall | Overhead at the three-way intersection of Concourse F, where the concourses meet the food court, retail, and the corridor to arrivals and baggage claim | 1 wall, about 224″ × 62″ | :10 in :100, about 10% SOV | The busiest crossing in United’s terminal; both directions |
| Iconic Digital | A two-story, floor-to-ceiling wall in the central area of Harvey Milk Terminal 1 Concourse B, just past security, beside the lounge and the concessions | 1 wall, about 14′ × 27′ | :10 in :120, one of twelve, about 8% SOV | American, JetBlue, Alaska, Hawaiian, and Sun Country traffic; the biggest single read at SFO |
| Video walls | Individual walls at security checkpoints and busy concourses across Terminals 1, 2, 3, and the International Terminal. Sold by location, not as an airport-wide network | Confirm count and sizes at quote | :10 in :100, about 10% SOV | By terminal and airline. The only digital network at SFO is international baggage claim |
| Arrivals Digital Network | Twelve screens on the baggage carousels in the International Terminal | 12 screens, 70″ | :10 in :240, one of 24, about 4% SOV | The only network that reaches international arrivals; long dwell, lowest cost of entry |
Timing
Two seasons. January through April: JPM Healthcare, GDC, RSAC, GTC, and the spring developer conferences. September through November: Dreamforce, Disrupt, and the fall product launches. Outside them, SFO is bought for business travel in both directions, in 28-day periods, and it’s less contested. JPM and Dreamforce periods: hold inventory 4–6 months out.
The Bay Area’s conference calendar is dense in the shoulders and quiet in the middle. Summer is the airport’s busiest season for passengers and the quietest for B2B, because the audience is on vacation. The table covers the weeks that change who is in the building.
| Event | Timing | Who arrives | What it means for the buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPM Healthcare Conference | January 11–14, 2027 | Biotech, pharma, and health-tech executives and investors; the entire industry’s deal week | The most concentrated executive audience of the year. United and international, so Terminal 3 and Concourse G. The period that contains it sells first |
| GDC | March 1–5, 2027 | Game developers and publishers, about 30,000 | Moscone; younger, developer-heavy; every carrier |
| NVIDIA GTC | March 14–18, 2027, San Jose | AI and infrastructure; some fly SJC, many fly SFO | The AI buyer’s week; Terminal 3 and G for the international share |
| RSAC | April 5–8, 2027 | Cybersecurity, about 45,000 | The security industry’s week; the SFO equivalent of Black Hat at LAS |
| Google I/O, WWDC, Databricks and Snowflake summits | May–June window; 2027 I/O and WWDC dates not posted | Developers and data teams | Mid-tier weeks; the Peninsula events split between SFO and SJC |
| Summer | June–August | Leisure and international visitors; the busiest passenger months | Consumer and destination brands; B2B goes quiet |
| Dreamforce | September 21–23, 2027 | Salesforce ecosystem, 40,000-plus in person | The largest conference on the calendar; the city and the airport both fill. Multi-terminal |
| TechCrunch Disrupt | October 13–15, 2026 | Startups, founders, venture | Founder-heavy; the venture audience that lives here is also in the building |
| OpenAI DevDay and fall launches | September 29, 2026, San Francisco; later fall launches vary | AI developers and partners | Smaller inbound, dense composition |
SFO is the one airport where the conference audience and the resident audience are the same industry. A security brand buying RSAC week reaches the RSAC attendees and the Bay Area security buyers who didn’t need to fly in. That’s the argument for buying the period, not the week: the seven days around the conference reach the same people at home. If the brief is the conference burst only, book two weeks — one week and two weeks cost the same at SFO, unlike Las Vegas. The mistake on an always-on brief is buying only the show and skipping the other days at an airport where the audience never leaves.
JPM week and Dreamforce week: hold inventory 4–6 months out. RSAC, GDC, and Disrupt: 8–12 weeks. Standard periods: 6–8 weeks is usually enough. SFO does not price by event; the premium is in availability, not the rate card. The period that contains a major conference sells out on the units that face the right terminal, and what’s left is the wrong terminal.
SFO is sold in 28-day periods, and the media kit prices every period the same within a year. The difference between a Dreamforce period and a July period is not the rate; it’s whether the Terminal 3 walls and the Concourse B Iconic wall are still open. A brand that wants the conference period books the period.
Short conference flights are a separate rule. One week and two weeks cost the same at SFO, so the minimum conference campaign is two weeks. Las Vegas will sell a single week; SFO will not, because the second week is already in the price.
One more thing the rate cards show: the digital rate card rose roughly a fifth between the 2025 and 2026 grids, and multi-year agreements carry annual increases. A brand planning an always-on program at SFO should ask for the rate held across the run at contract, because the next card will be higher.
A hold at SFO expires five business days after it’s confirmed unless extended, and extensions are at the concession’s discretion. In a conference period that means a hold is a decision window, not a reservation. Contracts are non-cancellable once signed.
| Tier | Examples | Hold by | What sells first | Pricing character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak | The periods containing JPM week and Dreamforce week | 4–6 months | Terminal 3 video walls, Concourse G units, Iconic Digital | Standard rate; contested by availability, not price |
| High | RSAC, GDC, GTC, Disrupt periods | 8–12 weeks | Terminal 3 video walls and the terminal that fits the audience | Standard rate; the right-terminal units go first |
| Standard | All other periods, including summer | 6–8 weeks | Most units open | Standard rate; 28-day minimum; multi-period programs carry annual increases |
Ready to plan?
Tell us who you need to reach, where, and when. We come back with current availability at every airport in the plan and a recommended mix.
Placement
In the terminal your audience’s airlines use, along the path they take. United traffic: Terminal 3 concourses, the F-intersection wall, the security queue, and Concourse G. Non-United domestic: the Iconic wall in Terminal 1 and the baggage claims in Terminals 1 and 2. International arrivals: the International Terminal baggage claim. Connecting passengers: the T3–G corridor. No single unit reaches everyone.
SFO’s four terminals sit around a ring, connected airside and by the AirTrain. Passengers do not cross between them unless they’re connecting, so a placement plan is a terminal plan first.
Arriving passengers walk the E or F concourse toward the central rotunda, pass the F intersection (the video wall), and take the corridor down to baggage claim and the exit to the curb and the garage. Departing passengers clear the Terminal 3 security checkpoint (the print units and the lit spectacular), pass the same intersection, and walk out to the gates (the F11–F14 gate-hold units, the E wall). Connecting passengers walk the corridor to Concourse G (the connector unit) without leaving the secure side.
Arriving passengers come off Concourse B or C, pass the central area (the Iconic wall, two stories, past security), and go down to baggage claim (the tension fabric units) and out toward the garage and rideshare (the soffit unit over the exit). Departing passengers clear security into the same central area.
Delta, Air Canada, and Breeze. Baggage claim lit units and the eye-level dioramas on the walk to the garage, AirTrain, and rideshare.
Concourse G is United and Star Alliance, with the diorama across from the lounge and the connector back to Terminal 3. Concourse A is everyone else. Both feed the international baggage claim, where the twelve-screen Arrivals Digital Network hangs over the carousels; that is the only advertising an international arrival sees before the curb.
| Step | Terminal 3 (United) | Terminal 1 and 2 (other domestic) | International Terminal | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off the plane | Concourse E wall; F gate-hold print | Concourse B central area: Iconic wall | Concourse G diorama; Concourse A | High for the business audience; both directions |
| The crossing | F-intersection video wall; corridor to bag claim | Central area past security | Connector to Terminal 3 (connecting United passengers) | Highest in T3; the one point every T3 passenger passes |
| Baggage claim | Vertical unit across from the United carousel | Terminal 1 tension fabric; Terminal 2 lit units and dioramas | Arrivals Digital Network, 12 screens | Highest for a local audience; the only place you know the passenger is in San Francisco |
| The curb | Exit to garage and rideshare | Soffit over the Terminal 1 exit; Terminal 2 walk to AirTrain and rideshare | Curb | High; last read before the city |
| Departure side | Security-queue print and spectacular; F intersection; E wall; gate holds | Iconic wall; Concourse C gate hold near the Sky Club | Concourse G diorama; connector | High for resident, recruiting, and conference-outbound buys |
An account-based or recruiting buy is both directions in Terminal 3, because the resident audience commutes. A conference buy is arrival-side on the inbound day across every terminal the audience’s airlines use, then departure-side in Terminal 3 on the way home. A Bay Area consumer or destination buy is baggage claim and the curb only, because that’s where the local audience is certain. A transpacific buy is Concourse G and the connector, where the passenger may never leave the building and doesn’t need to.
Through fall 2027. Gates, the security checkpoint, and the concessions on the western half are changing. Confirm unit locations against the current map at contract, and ask what happens if a unit is obstructed or relocated during your period.
Why SFO
Because the people who decide what enterprise technology, AI, cloud, security, and biotech get bought fly through here more than through any other airport, and twice a year the rest of their industry flies in to meet them. SFO is the Bay Area’s international gateway and United’s Pacific hub: sixteen million international passengers, a business audience that commutes by air, and a conference calendar with two peaks.
The Bay Area is the densest concentration of technology decision-makers in the world, and most of it flies out of SFO. Founders and executives on the Peninsula, the AI labs and the venture firms in the city, the biotech corridor in South San Francisco, and the companies that grew up around Stanford and Berkeley. On a Monday morning United flight to Newark, Denver, or Tokyo, the passenger next to your ad is the Bay Area tech workforce, and a meaningful share of them buy enterprise software, infrastructure, and services for a living.
Then the calendar turns the building into a conference airport. JPM Healthcare in January fills Concourse G and Terminal 3 with biotech and health investors. RSAC in April brings the security industry. Dreamforce in September brings 40,000-plus of the Salesforce ecosystem. Disrupt in October brings the startup world. Between those weeks, GTC, Google I/O, WWDC, and the developer conferences on the Peninsula send their audiences through the same terminals.
Two facts shape every SFO plan. First, it’s a hub: United carries nearly half the airport and a share of its passengers are connecting between Asia-Pacific and the rest of the country without entering San Francisco. A brand targeting the Bay Area weights baggage claim and the curb; a brand targeting the transpacific business traveler weights the concourses and the Concourse G side of the International Terminal. Second, it’s four terminals, and the airline decides which one your audience uses. There is no unit at SFO that reaches everyone, and the page says so.
Audience
About 54.4 million passengers in 2025, sixteen million of them international. United is the hub carrier at 43.8% and lives in Terminal 3 and International Terminal G. Delta, American, Alaska, JetBlue, Hawaiian, and Southwest share Harvey Milk Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Every other international airline uses International Terminal A. The useful audience is the Bay Area business traveler most weeks and the conference inbound during the two peaks.
SFO enplaned about 27.25 million passengers in 2025 and deplaned about 27.11 million, a total near 54.4 million, up roughly 4% on 2024. About 19.3 million of the enplanements were domestic and 7.95 million international. United carried 24.31 million passengers, 43.8% of the airport, and announced its largest-ever SFO schedule for summer 2026: more than 300 daily departures to over 100 destinations, including 50-plus daily international flights. SkyWest (flying as United Express and for others) and Delta each carried about 4 million; American 3.6 million; Alaska 3.3 million. July was the busiest month at 5.3 million passengers.
Terminal by airline, as published on flysfo.com airline pages and the March 2026 relocation notices. Terminal 3 West construction is moving gates through fall 2027. Confirm assignments against the current airport map at contract.
| Terminal | Concourses | Airlines | What it means for the buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Milk Terminal 1 | B and C | Alaska and Hawaiian, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country, Frontier, Porter. Concourse B and C. Confirm the live gate map at contract. | The newest domestic terminal; the two-story Iconic Digital wall is here. Non-United domestic arrivals and departures |
| Terminal 2 | D | Air Canada, Breeze, WestJet (WestJet moved here March 3, 2026). Confirm the live gate map at contract. | Smaller domestic hall; Air Canada, Breeze, and WestJet as of the 2026 notices |
| Terminal 3 | E and F | United domestic, United Express | Nearly half the airport. Concourse E and F video walls, the F-intersection wall, the security-queue units. Western half under construction through fall 2027 |
| International Terminal | A and G | G: United international and Star Alliance partners (Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, and others). A: other international carriers (Emirates, British Airways, Air France, Cathay, and others). Air Canada also uses Terminal 2. Confirm the live map at contract. | Sixteen million international passengers. G is the transpacific business audience and the Polaris lounge; A is everyone else. The Arrivals Digital Network at international baggage claim is the only network that reaches international arrivals |
All four terminals connect airside and by the AirTrain, and Terminal 3 connects directly to International Terminal G through a corridor that carries United’s connecting passengers between domestic and international flights. That corridor has its own advertising units, sold specifically for connecting traffic.
What matters for advertisers is not the annual total. It is who is in which terminal on a given week, and whether they’re leaving the building.
Technology, AI, venture, and biotech executives and their teams, flying to customers, investors, and the East Coast and Asia. Heaviest Monday and Thursday. Mostly United, which means Terminal 3 and Concourse G. This is the audience an always-on B2B, account-based, or recruiting buy at SFO is for.
JPM Healthcare in January (biotech, pharma, investors). GDC in March. RSAC in April (security). Dreamforce in September (the Salesforce ecosystem). Disrupt in October (startups and venture). They arrive on every carrier, which is why a conference buy at SFO is multi-terminal or it’s incomplete.
Sixteen million a year. Asia-Pacific is the largest market: Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai. Europe and Canada follow. United and Star Alliance in G; everyone else in A. Some of this traffic connects onward and never enters the city; the rest is the international business and leisure audience for the Bay Area.
Stanford, Berkeley, UCSF, USF, Santa Clara, and San Jose State send students and faculty through SFO, and out-of-state and international programs recruit Bay Area students through it. Executive programs reach the working professional on the concourses. The natural windows are semester starts, commencement, and the alumni weekends. Education brands EAM has placed in airports include Wharton, BYU, the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and UT Dallas.
Leisure and visitors sit at baggage claim and the curb: San Francisco’s visitor economy, Napa and Sonoma, Yosemite and Tahoe, the cruise terminal. Consumer, hospitality, and destination brands reach them in the two places where only people who are actually here are standing.
Who advertises
Enterprise technology, AI, cloud, and security brands reaching the companies headquartered here and the industry that flies in for JPM, RSAC, and Dreamforce; biotech and pharma around JPM week; employers recruiting the Bay Area workforce; universities reaching students, alumni, and working professionals; international and transpacific brands reaching the Asia-Pacific audience in Concourse G; financial and wealth brands reaching founders and investors; and consumer and destination brands reaching visitors at baggage claim. The objective picks the terminal and the direction.
The useful way to think about SFO is by objective, and then by terminal. The table below is how EAM scopes a San Francisco brief.
| Objective | Who buys it | Who it reaches | What the buy usually looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account-based presence | Enterprise software, cloud, security, infrastructure, and AI brands selling into the Bay Area’s technology companies | Their buyers, commuting through Terminal 3 on United weekly | Terminal 3 walls and the F-intersection wall, always-on, multi-period; print at the United security queue for a fixed message |
| Conference inbound | Sponsors and exhibitors at JPM, RSAC, GDC, Dreamforce, Disrupt | Their industry, arriving Sunday and Monday of show week on every carrier | The period containing the show; individual video walls in the terminal that fits the audience’s airlines. No airport-wide digital network except international baggage claim |
| Biotech and pharma | Companies presenting or meeting at JPM; the South San Francisco corridor year-round | Investors and executives on United and international carriers | Concourse G and Terminal 3 for JPM week; the Iconic wall for non-United traffic |
| Recruiting and employer brand | Companies opening or growing a Bay Area office, and the ones competing with them for engineers | The resident tech workforce on the way out; candidates flying in | Departure-side: security-queue print in Terminal 3, the F-intersection wall, Concourse C gate hold |
| Universities and executive education | Executive MBA and certificate programs, out-of-state and international universities recruiting Bay Area students, alumni campaigns | Working professionals on business flights; students and families at semester starts | Concourse walls for professionals; baggage claim print for families in August and January |
| International and transpacific | Airlines, banks, telecom, luxury, and destination brands targeting the Asia-Pacific business audience or Bay Area travelers headed there | Concourse G departures; international arrivals at baggage claim | The Concourse G diorama and the T3–G connector unit for departures; the Arrivals Digital Network for inbound |
| Financial, wealth, and fintech | Private banks, wealth managers, fintech targeting founders, investors, and the venture community | Business decision makers year-round; the Disrupt and Dreamforce audiences | Terminal 3 and the Iconic wall; the period containing Disrupt |
| Launch or brand moment | A product launch timed to a conference, a funding announcement, a headquarters move | Everyone in the building for a period | The Iconic wall plus individual video walls in the right terminal; one period |
| Consumer, hospitality, and destination | Visitor bureaus, Napa and Sonoma, hotels, rideshare, rental cars | Arriving visitors, domestic and international | Baggage claim print in Terminals 1 and 2, the International Arrivals Digital Network, curb-adjacent soffits |
A brand targeting the Bay Area should know that a share of the passengers on the Terminal 3 concourses are connecting and will never see San Francisco. The concourse walls reach them; baggage claim and the curb don’t. For a local audience, weight the arrivals side. For the transpacific business traveler, the concourses and Concourse G are the point, and the T3–G connector unit is sold for exactly that person.
Nearly half the airport is one airline, and a brand whose audience flies United can build a plan that never leaves Terminal 3 and Concourse G: the E wall, the F wall, the security-queue print, the F11–F14 gate-hold units, the G diorama, the connector. A brand whose audience flies everyone else needs the Iconic wall in Terminal 1, the Terminal 2 baggage claim units, and International Terminal A. There is no airport-wide digital network except international baggage claim; cover the other terminals with individual units.
The Bay Area sends students to programs across the country and the world, and its own universities recruit globally. Out-of-state and international programs recruiting here, executive education reaching the Bay Area professional, and alumni campaigns around commencement all use SFO. The natural windows are semester starts and commencement: Berkeley instruction begins August 26, 2026 and January 19, 2027, with spring commencement May 15, 2027; Stanford autumn classes September 22, 2026, winter January 4, 2027, commencement June 13, 2027.
For a West Coast or national plan, SJC, OAK, LAX, and SEA add reach, and EAM buys them as one plan when a brief needs it. That is a scoping conversation, not something this page needs to argue.
How EAM works
One call, one plan, one contract. We follow up to learn who you need to reach, then come back with current availability and a recommended mix. EAM does not own inventory at SFO, so the plan is not a package that has to be sold.
Step 01
Always-on, a conference period, or a launch; which airlines the audience flies and therefore which terminal; arrival-side, departure-side, or both; whether the audience is local or in transit; one airport or SFO as part of a West Coast or national plan.
You getThe period, the terminal, and the direction
Step 02
Which walls and units are open for the period, how crowded the loops are, whether Terminal 3 construction affects the units you want, and whether category separation is possible.
You getAvailability, loop crowding, and construction status
Step 03
Units, share of voice, terminal coverage, and a range, not a scraped rate card.
You getA quoted plan you can take inside
Step 04
Holds expire in five business days, so the decision is made inside that window. Specs across every screen shape in the buy (the Iconic wall is a tall portrait; individual video walls have multiple sizes), airport authority approval, digital creative 14–18 business days and static 21–28 days before start.
You getOne contract and one spec sheet
Step 05
Confirm posting before the period starts. Proof of performance within five business days; play logs after.
You getProof of posting and play logs in one report
EAM Advertising is an independent airport and in-flight media agency, founded in 2015. We specialize in airport and in-flight media and nothing else, and we do not own media assets at SFO or any airport. That independence is why the recommendations hold up. We plan and buy across 125+ airports and 45+ airlines worldwide, which is the leverage and the current-availability knowledge a one-time SFO buyer does not have. Clients include Fortinet, Dynatrace, Rubrik, McGraw-Hill, and Wharton. When the plan extends beyond San Francisco — a roadshow, a multi-city launch, an international push — the same relationship covers the other markets.
For agencies and consultants
Agencies and consultants bring EAM Advertising in as the airport specialist behind a client’s plan. The client relationship stays with you. We plan, buy, and report under NDA, and can work white-label.
Get our media kitMeasurement
Proof of posting and digital play logs are factual. Delivered impressions are modeled. Brand lift is the only method that speaks to effect, and it has to be fielded before the flight. Direct pipeline attribution is not reliably available. SFO has one measurement advantage and one complication: the Bay Area workforce is stable enough to survey in advance, and the connecting share means delivered impressions overstate the Bay Area audience on concourse units.
Airport advertising is measurable, but not in the way digital media is measurable, and the gap between those two things is where most internal arguments about this channel happen. Decide what you are measuring before the buy; retrofitting measurement after a period has ended rarely produces anything defensible.
| Measure | What it actually tells you | When to set it up | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proof of posting | Photographic confirmation that every unit ran, in the right place, for the full period. At SFO: close-up and environmental photos of every print location, and a 10% sample of screens plus stacked-content photos for digital networks, within five business days of posting. | Written into the contract before signing | High — factual |
| Delivered impressions | Modeled from terminal traffic and unit position. On Terminal 3 concourse units, ask for the estimate net of connecting passengers if the brief is the Bay Area, because a share of the people the model counts are changing planes. | Requested at proposal stage | Moderate — modeled |
| Digital play logs | Actual spot counts and share of voice on digital networks. Play logs on request. | Requested at contracting | High — logged |
| Brand lift study | Survey-based awareness or perception change against a control. The only method that measures effect rather than exposure. | Fielded pre-flight for a baseline | Moderate — needs budget and lead time |
| Direct attribution to pipeline | Not reliably available. Airport media has no click, and the same brands run other touchpoints at the same time. | — | Low — treat claims here with skepticism |
For an always-on Bay Area buy, the audience lives here, which means a pre- and post-period survey can be fielded against a geo-targeted panel of technology professionals rather than a general travel sample. For a JPM or Dreamforce period, the population is defined and the window is short, which is the cleanest opportunity airport media offers for a lift study. Decide which you’re buying before deciding what to measure.
The honest framing for anyone defending this spend internally: proof of posting and play logs prove the campaign ran as bought, delivered impressions size the audience, and a lift study is the only line that speaks to effect. A vendor promising attributed pipeline from airport media is overselling. EAM contracts proof of posting and delivery reporting on every campaign as standard and will tell you plainly when a proposed measurement approach won’t produce a number worth presenting.
Questions
A single print unit runs $6,000 to $70,000 per 28-day period plus $200 to $2,500 for production, installation, and removal. On the lower end: dioramas in the ticketing area, then eye-level signage in the concourses; overhead banners and banner packages sit at the top of the range. A single digital spectacular runs $20,000 to $150,000 per period. The only digital network at SFO is the International Arrivals Digital Network in international baggage claim. A two- or three-unit plan runs $60,000 to $250,000. Those are planning ranges; specific units and periods are quoted against current availability.
In 28-day periods. Conference campaigns have a two-week minimum, because one week and two weeks cost the same — unlike Las Vegas. Every digital unit runs ten-second spots; loops are ten spots on the concourse walls, twelve on the Iconic wall, and 24 on the international arrivals network — the only digital network at SFO. Holds expire five business days after confirmation. Contracts are non-cancellable once signed, and multi-year agreements carry annual increases; the digital rate card rose roughly a fifth between 2025 and 2026.
The one your audience’s airlines use. United, nearly half the airport, is Terminal 3 for domestic and Concourse G for international. American, JetBlue, Alaska, Hawaiian, Southwest, and Delta are across Harvey Milk Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Every other international carrier is Concourse A. Confirm the current list at contract; Terminal 3 construction and airline moves change it.
Both, and it depends on the unit. Concourse walls in Terminal 3 and Concourse G reach connecting passengers along with local ones; a share of them never leave the airport. Baggage claim and the curb reach only people who are actually in San Francisco. If the brief is local, weight the arrivals side. If the brief is the transpacific business traveler, the concourses and the T3–G connector are the point.
At the International Terminal baggage claim, on the twelve-screen Arrivals Digital Network. International arrivals clear federal inspection before they reach public areas, so the concourse units reach international departures but not arrivals. For a UK, European, or Asia-Pacific inbound audience, that network is the unit.
Four to six months for the periods that contain them; the Terminal 3 walls and Concourse G units sell first. RSAC, GDC, and Disrupt periods are workable at eight to twelve weeks. Standard periods at six to eight. A hold lasts five business days, so a hold is a decision window rather than a reservation.
For enterprise technology, AI, cloud, security, and biotech, it is the most concentrated executive audience of any U.S. airport, because the industry that buys those things is headquartered here and flies United through Terminal 3 every week. Add JPM, RSAC, and Dreamforce and the same building carries the rest of the industry twice a year.
Yes; SFO is one of the few airports where a single-airline plan is practical. The Concourse E wall, the F-intersection wall, the security-queue print, the F11–F14 gate-hold units, the Concourse G diorama, and the T3–G connector reach United and Star Alliance traffic and almost nothing else. A non-United audience needs the Iconic wall, the Terminal 1 and 2 baggage claims, or individual video walls in those terminals.
Yes. Out-of-state and international programs recruiting Bay Area students, executive and certificate programs reaching the working professional on the concourses, and alumni campaigns around commencement. Education brands EAM has placed in airports include Wharton, BYU, the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and UT Dallas. The natural windows are late August, mid-January, and May and June.
Digital creative is due 14–18 business days before start, and static creative 21–28 days before start. The Iconic wall is a tall portrait; individual video walls have multiple pixel sizes. Count the shapes before you brief. All creative is subject to airport authority approval before it posts.
Possibly. Competitive separation between print and digital may be possible at SFO, but it isn’t guaranteed, and separation within a network is at the concession’s discretion. If exclusivity matters, ask when booking and write it into the contract; that is one of the things EAM asks for when it buys SFO.
Everything after the objective. We check what’s open for the period, which loops are crowded and which units will sell out, and where on the arrival path your audience actually walks. We recommend the mix, secure the units, traffic the creative through airport approval, confirm posting on day one, and deliver proof of posting and play logs after. If SFO is one market in a larger plan, the same relationship covers the others.
Independent airport advertising media agency. Est. 2015.
Send your work email for the media kit: formats, planning ranges, and how EAM works. We’ll follow up to learn who you need to reach and when, then come back with current availability and a recommended mix.
Independent since 2015 · 125+ airports · 40+ media vendors
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