San Francisco International Airport

From LoveToKnow SanFrancisco

San Francisco International Airport is located about 15 miles south of the city center. It is one of three major airports that serve the San Francisco Bay Area. (Oakland and San Jose International are the other two.) San Francisco airport is easily accessible to residents and visitors from all over northern California and is served by 46 domestic and international air carriers offering flights to dozens of destinations. San Francisco is the 12th largest airport in the United States and the 25th largest in the world, in number of passengers.

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Getting to and from San Francisco International Airport

Getting to San Francisco airport is easy. The facility sits right off of the Bayshore Highway and route 82. The airport also has its own BART (Bay Area Regional Transit) station, connected right to the terminal. From here, passengers can travel to the city center in about 30 minutes as well as to the suburbs of San Bruno and Millbrae.

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Airlines

San Francisco Internation has charter jet service and provides service to commercial airlines including the following:

  • Air Canada
  • Air France
  • Alaska Airways
  • American Airlines
  • America West Airlines
  • British Airways
  • Cathay Pacific
  • China Airlines
  • Continental Airlines
  • Delta Airlines
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • Lufthansa
  • Mexicana
  • Northwest Airlines
  • Singapore Airlines
  • United Airlines
  • US Airways
  • Virgin Atlantic
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Ground Transportation

In addition to BART, San Francisco International Airport offers a full complement of ground transportation, including limousines, door-to-door vans, rental cars, and taxis. Taxi fare into the city center is approximately $35 plus tip.

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Parking at SFO Airport

San Francisco airport offers short-term, long-term, and valet parking. Short-term parking lots are connected to the terminals by AirTrain, the facility's people movers. Long-term lots are connected to the terminals by frequent bus service.

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Facilities at the Airport

San Francisco airport offers a number of unique facilties for passengers. There is a computer battery charging station and Internet access center. In addition, the entire airport facility offers free WiFi service. There is a business center with fax and copy machines, private work stations (some with computers), and private conference rooms. Cellular phones are available for daily and weekly rental and the airport has a shower facility for those travelers wishing to freshen-up after a long flight. Other airport amenities include a variety of shops and restaurants, a children's play center, and a full medical clinic.

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Airport Museums

San Francisco Airport is known for its museums and art exhibits. The airport is unique in that it offers 20 galleries scattered throughout the terminals, which feature changing exhibits about art, history, culture, and science. In addition, the airport is home to an extensive aviation library and the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection about commercial aviation.

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What's New for San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco airport's city and bayside location keep it from expanding its runways. However, the airport continues to moderize its terminals and offers some of the best facilities of any US airport. New service for SFO includes a new Quantas non-stop flight to Sydney, Australia, and SFO is slated to be the operational base for Virgin American Airlines when it begins service in late 2006.


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Comments

Lia, For more information on the rest and shower facilities see my prior comment about the SFO shower area in the International Terminal. There are disabled facilities throughout SFO starting with reserved car parking in all car parks (call 650-821-7900 for more info), a shuttle bus from the long-term car park with a lift, ramp-accessible taxis, wheelchair accessible SamTrans buses, Caltrain shuttle and all BART stations. The airport itself is physically accessible to the disabled. When necessary, airline employees can assist disabled passengers during arrival or departure. Tip: Contact your airline before your departure to prearrange for whatever help you will need at arrival or departure. TTY phones are available throughout the airport for hearing-impaired travelers.

Thank you for your question and for visiting LoveToKnow San Francisco.

-- Contributed by: SusanWeber

Hi. Could you, please, help me with detailed information about facilities at the SFO airport mentioned above and about services for travelers with disabilities. In what terminals these facilities are located and telephone numbers.

Thanks a lot.

-- Contributed by: Lia

SFO does have a shower area inside the SFO Hairport - a retail area in the International Terminal. Showers are available Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 5 PM. The shower area can be reached at 650-876-1741. Depending on when he arrives Saturday, this may be a good option for him.

There is no area or rooms to rent at SFO for napping or long term resting. With a 10 hour break, he might want to consider getting a room at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel. The hotel is right on the edge of the airport grounds and it really caters to the special needs of travelers. Their shuttle service is free and runs very frequently. The hotel's website is at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1007.

Thank you for your question and for visiting LoveToKnow San Francisco.

-- Contributed by: SusanWeber
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