What part of SFO crowds makes SF<->LA slow? I've always sped through security in 15 minutes at any time of day. Surely there must be security clearance time data available somewhere.
When SF fogs in (which is far more often than you'd expect), they close a runway.
As a result, you experience crowding in SF even before your SF-bound plane leaves the gate or takes off due to air traffic control ground holds. Epic delays then cascade through the rest of the air traffic system, delaying wherever that plane was supposed to go next.
This could all be alleviated if they moved one their runways further apart. I get that NIMBY's won't let them fill in more of the bay to achieve this (c'mon guys, what's another 40 feet or so?). What I don't get is how it doesn't seem to occur to anyone to move the terminal and gate structures back "west" to make this space. After substantial renovations on Terminals 1 and 2 for what is still mostly a ranch-style airport, you'd figure they could do something to free up some space.
And don't get me started on SF's slowmobile, taking you to the rental car center in 10 minutes or more.