A Popular California Airport's Unique 'Quiet Policy' Reduces Stress For Travelers

Airports can be total nightmares to fly in and out of if you hate noise. From constant announcements over the loudspeaker to different types of music coming out of retail stores and restaurants, to travelers conversing loudly as they rush to their gates, airports can create the most overstimulating environments. All the noise coming at you from all directions probably doesn't help when you're getting held up at security or stressing over a flight delay. San Francisco International (SFO) airport observed this problem and came up with a solution.

In 2018, SFO launched its Quiet Airport policy which it implemented throughout 2019 and 2020. The idea was to reduce background noises inside terminals to make the experience less overstimulating and stressful for travelers. The airport developed new rules for businesses inside the airport that would limit their "sound footprint" and their use of music. The SFO Customer Care team also realigned where public announcements would be made to page passengers only in necessary areas of the airport. For example if you're at an A gate, you're not going to be hearing announcements from the B gates with the exception of final calls. This resulted in a 40% reduction of announcements at gate seating areas and 90 minutes of reduction in the whole terminal each day. With this change, you don't have to perk up every time an announcement comes through and can focus on relaxing before your flight. The only announcements they'll hear are ones relevant to them. Travelers don't need to worry about keeping quiet, however, as the policy is more geared toward airport operations rather than controlling traveler behavior.

In the years since it went into motion, SFO's Quiet Airport policy has proven to be a success. Travelers have noticed a palpable change and they are loving it, saying it's allowed them to have a more relaxing time at the airport. Overall, those who passed through SFO noticed the lack of constant announcements and have attested that it makes their travels way easier to manage. In a Reddit thread under the United Airlines channel, an airline that operates a major hub out of SFO, travelers praised SFO's Quiet Airport policy, saying that overhead announcements in general are irksome, redundant, and unnecessary as most can be communicated through notifications from airline apps on smartphones.

"I flew through SFO a few weeks ago for the first time in a decade," said Redditor ecthelion510. "The first thing I noticed was how quiet and peaceful it was compared to my outbound route with the connection in DFW. For a 4 hour layover, it was GLORIOUS to not have all the noise. It seemed like people were calmer and not in a rush, either." Others expressed hopes that other airports will follow suit.