Travelers love this initiative and ask other locations to take notice: This is a “Quiet Airport”
This airport is cultivating a more relaxed flying experience for travelers, starting with less noise.


Traveling can be stressful, but travelers passing through San Francisco International Airport (SFO) may find a more soothing atmosphere than they are used to. The airport has made changes in recent years to foster this environment, but a recent discussion post on Reddit has led to travelers sharing their support for the model.
The change to make SFO a “Quiet Airport” came in September 2020, when airports around the world were figuring out how to keep passengers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to safety measures to reduce the spread of the virus, airport leaders announced that SFO would decrease the volume of the announcements in their terminals to make air travel less stressful by reducing the amount of background noise that travelers are exposed to inside the terminals.” The airport began the implementation of the program in 2018 and by 2020 touted that their changes had led to “a 40% reduction in announcements at aircraft departure gate seating areas.” All in all, SFO officials estimate that the reduction in terminal-wide broadcasting cut out around 90 minutes of announcements.
🌎✈️ SFO Gaining Altitude!
— San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ✈️ (@flySFO) January 30, 2025
📈2024 Recap:
⬆️ 52+ million passengers
⬆️ 4.3% growth over 2023
⬆️ 12.2% growth international travelers
⬆️ 10.6% domestic growth in December
⬆️ Nonstop service to 50+ international destinations!#TravelTrends#SFOGrowth#ConnectingSFtoTheWorld pic.twitter.com/4KkT3ZZmfe
United Airlines asks passengers their perspective on the ‘quiet airport’
Making SFO into a Queit Airport has received positive reviews from travelers, as shown by the comments of a recent post by United Airlines on Reddit, which was initially reported on by Fox News.
Some Reddit users noted that fewer announcements mean travelers pay attention when they are made, as they often relate to cases of missing children or a security risk.
Many commenters appreciated that there were plenty of other ways to stay informed, such as push notifications from the United App or through texts and emails. While this increased reliance on technology might please some, it also had its dissenters.
One user responded that while United’s app is “the best in the business,” not all “apps are built equally” and that those with less functionality might create challenges for passengers.
Others noted that the system requires passengers to sit in their designated area to hear information relevant to their flight. Stipulating that they didn’t have any data to back up their claim, one Redditor theorized that the model could lead to “less people running through the terminal as [travelers] have to be by your gate or in a lounge to hear announcements.” And with mobile apps and alerts, the constant announcements seem antiquated.
On a personal note, as someone who flew through SFO in the last month, I was unaware that the airport followed this policy, and had I chosen to sit away from the gate, I would have missed announcements about my flight. My lack of awareness regarding the airport’s policy wasn’t an issue, but that doesn’t exclude the possibility that confusion could arise.
Aside from passengers who have traveled through SFO. Many other posts sounded pleased with the idea and hoped that their local airport would implement a similar system.
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