It's often said that comebacks are greater than setbacks and that's the case of San Francisco International Airport, according to one member of the aviation industry.Â
SFO was named a 2023 Routes Americas award winner for its success in pandemic recovery. Routes Americas is an "air service development forum uniting the Americas, bringing together senior decision-makers from the region's leading airlines, airports and other aviation stakeholders."Â
Airport director Ivar C. Satero said, "The development of new air service has been critical to our passenger traffic recovery. By expanding our focus to include domestic airlines, SFO is offering customers what they value most — a wide variety of nonstop travel choices at competitive prices."
According to Routes, SFO has shown a strong recovery from the pandemic's impacts on air travel. Their return to form can be attributed to "worldwide marketing campaigns, identifying key markets for future growth and maximizing promotional impact."Â
Such efforts allowed the airport to welcome Breeze Airways, its first new domestic carrier in 15 years. Breeze a low-cost airline that provides direct flights to smaller U.S. cities. Additionally, SFO welcomed a slew of international carriers, such as Canada's Flair Airlines and Air Transat and Germany's Condor Airlines.Â
SFO was honored in the "Over 20 Million Passengers" category, which consists of the continent's largest airports. The award was presented at the annual Routes Americas conference, which was held between March 21 and 23 in Chicago.Â
