First look at SFO's spectacular new outdoor observation deck

On Friday, Feb. 14, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will open the Sky Terrace, a new public, outdoor observation deck atop Terminal 2. What's most unusual about this perch is that visitors do not need airline tickets or boarding passes to take in the superb airfield views (which  you can see in the slideshow above) — access to the bright indoor-outdoor space is before security.

Plane spotters will delight in the terrace's location, peering right over the spot on runways where jumbo jets gain enough momentum to lift off. During SFGATE's exclusive preview of the space at around noon, we watched a Cathay Pacific A350 roar off to Hong Kong, a Qantas 787 Dreamliner arrive from Sydney and Boeing 777s from United, Korean Air and Japan Airlines lumber through.