SFO — now officially the Dianne Feinstein International Terminal, for those keeping score — has quietly become one of the most pleasant airport experiences in the country. And yes, we're including the food. All 18 restaurants in the International Terminal range from genuinely good to at least passable, which is a minor miracle for any airport, let alone one where you'd expect to pay $22 for a soggy sandwich and a lukewarm Coors Light.

But the real story isn't the dining. It's why SFO works when so many other airports feel like bus stations with jetways.

The answer is competition and private management. SFO is the only major airport in the country that uses a private security contractor instead of the TSA. The result? Lines move. Staff are professional. And when federal funding drama grinds Washington to a halt, SFO keeps humming. As one frequent flyer put it, "Coming from someone who travels a lot for work, SFO really does have their act together compared to most airports. EWR is nightmare fuel, so anything would feel like an upgrade from there."

The terminals are modern, consistently upgraded, and — here's a concept — logically laid out. There's even a Gate Explorer program that lets locals visit the airside without a boarding pass, something virtually no other U.S. airport offers. One SF resident noted, "A week ago I saw my sister off at her departure gate for the first time in almost 25 years. It's amazing."

There's a lesson here that extends well beyond baggage claim. When you inject private-sector accountability into a public service — when someone can actually get fired for doing a bad job — things tend to improve. SFO didn't get good by throwing more taxpayer money at the problem. It got good by letting competition do what competition does.

So next time someone tells you privatization can't work for public infrastructure, kindly direct them to Terminal G and a surprisingly decent bowl of ramen. The proof is in the boarding pass.