Look outside the window of your San Francisco flight and watch the dense fog begin to evaporate as the...
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San Francisco International Airport is located 21km (13 miles) south of downtown San Francisco and is the largest airport in the Bay Area and the second-busiest airport in California.
Comprising four terminals – Terminals 1, 2, 3 and the International Terminal – that form a ring around a multi-storey Domestic Parking garage, San Francisco International is easy to navigate. Terminals 1-3 handle all domestic flights, while the International Terminal mainly manages international flights. Customs, immigrations and baggage claims are generally fast; staff are friendly, signage is good and transport to and from the airport is excellent. Delays are common, though, due to the region’s adverse weather patterns; however, there are plans to extend the runways in order to aid aircraft flying in low visibility conditions.
San Francisco International is clean and modern. With its newly revamped Terminal 2 housing an award-winning aviation museum and library, along with an extensive array of retail, dining, entertainment and health establishments, it is truly a world-class facility.
Flights to San Francisco International Airport comes from a number of destinations worldwide, including Toronto, Paris, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Lima, Frankfurt, Singapore, San Salvador, Beijing, Mexico City, Sydney and Cancun, in addition to numerous domestic routes.
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Train: The BART Rapid Rail connects the airport to San Francisco Central. The station is located on the Departures level of the International Terminal; trains depart every 15-20 minutes. Journey time is about 30 minutes and the fare is about $8 one-way.
Bus: Samtrans buses run from Terminal 1 and the International Terminal to parts of San Francisco and the greater San Mateo County. Catch Route 292 to San Francisco, the fare of which is $1.50 and journey time around 1 hour.
Taxi: A taxi trip to the downtown San Francisco will cost around $40. Taxis depart outside the arrivals levels of all terminals.
Short-term parking is allotted to the Domestic Garage, a five-level facility situated in the centre of the airport which gives passengers direct and quick access to all terminals; rates are $2 per 20 minutes and $33 per 24 hours. Two international parking garages are positioned on either side of the International Terminal, the rates of which are $2 per 20 minutes and $20 per day; while a long-term car park, which charges $2 per 20 minutes and $15 per day, is located 2 miles (3.5 km) north of the airport’s terminals. There are also ParkFAST facilities and valet parking on the fourth level of the Domestic Garage.
Information desks are situated on the Arrivals levels of all terminals, while Travellers Aid kiosks are located on the Departures levels of each terminal. There are also computerised information kiosks scattered throughout the airport.
Money and communications: The airport offers ATMs, currency exchange and a post office.
Luggage: There are left luggage, lost and found and baggage-wrapping facilities.
Conference and business: Laptop workstations are available throughout the airport. Triptel offers basic business services as well as mobile phone rentals, while the Airport Travel Agency in the International Terminal provides fax and photocopying services; both are located in the International Terminal. There are no conference facilities at San Francisco International; however, several nearby hotels offer access to meeting rooms and seminar halls.
Other facilities: An aquarium, reading room, meditation room, childcare rooms, public showers, shoeshine stands and a medical clinic.
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi is available in all four terminals.
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Car rental companies at San Francisco International include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National and Thrifty.
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