San Francisco Airport

San Francisco International Airport is one of the important transport hubs not only for domestic flights but also for flights to Europe and Asia. It is also an important airport for California and West Coast area. Downtown San Francisco is 13 miles away.

You will find many restaurants, cafes, fast food and shops with souvenirs, cosmetics, travel goods, duty-free and consumer goods at all terminals.

At the airport, there are ATMs, exchange offices, tourist information, car rentals, VIP lounges, business centre where you can work in peace, medical service, travel service with luggage storage, printer and photocopier, relaxation rooms, vending machines, mailboxes, massages, workstations with drawers, yoga rooms and very useful for long journeys are showers (Freshen Up stores) open 24/7. You can find them near Concourse G. The fee for 30 minutes shower is $25, including toiletries and a towel.

Travellers with pets can use separate rooms to relax.
For families with children, there is a children’s corner, special rooms equipped for changing and feeding, the possibility of renting colouring books, an air show or a train ride.
If you have a lot of time at the airport, there are many exhibitions to visit.

Direct flights from London Heathrow are provided by Virgin Atlantic, British Airways or United Airlines for a standard price around £300. The journey takes 11 hours.

From Manchester or other major airports, you may use services of KLM, Air France, Air Lingus, Lufthansa, British Airways or other major airlines with 1 layover and standard fares up to £400. The journey time then depends on the duration of your layover, usually, it is possible to find flights with approx. 2-hour layovers.

San Francisco (SFO) airport is open 24/7.

San Francisco Airport Transit

There are 5 terminals at San Francisco Airport - three domestic and two international. They are connected by a free Airtrain train, which also runs to the BART commuter train station. The minimum time for a comfortable transfer from an international flight is about 2 hours or more due to the need to pick up your luggage and check it again. For a stopover lasting more than 6 hours, you can, for example, set out to explore the city centre. Recommended time to transfer on domestic flights (both flights) is around 45 minutes. As with all American airports, even if you are just transferring at the airport and flying to another country (purely international flights such as London - San Francisco - Havana), it is necessary to pick up your luggage, pass the immigration check and check-in again to your next flight. A valid ESTA visa is therefore required for the transfer as well.

San Francisco Airport Transfer

A great way to fully enjoy the West Coast is to rent a car directly at the airport. You can find a list of available rental shops here.

Airport – Airport Station (Airtrain shuttle)

As trains do not depart directly from the airport, you have to get to San Francisco Int’l Airport Station first, which is connected with the airport’s terminal by free AirTrain shuttle. Airtrain operates 24/7, departing every 4 minutes.

The AirTrain operates within 2 different lines:

The Red Line connects all terminals, terminal garages and the BART Station (Bay Area Rapid Transit).
The Blue Line connects the Rental Car Center with all terminals, terminal garages and the BART Station.

AirTrain stations are located in all terminals, the Domestic Parking Garage, and International Garages A and G:

From Terminal 1, 2 or 3, take the elevator or escalator to Mezzanine – Level 3 and walk across the passenger skybridge.
From the Domestic Parking Garage, take the elevator or stairs to Level 5.
From the International Garages A and G, take the elevator or stairs to Level 7.
From inside the International Terminal, access the AirTrain stations near Gates A and G. You can reach the stations by taking the elevator or escalator to Level 4.

To reach Caltrain, travel from BART to Millbrae station.

Airport Station – San Francisco downtown (BART Express train)

BART Express train operates between 5:00 – 00:00.

It departs every 20 minutes.
You will reach downtown in about 30-40 minutes.

Fares
Single ticket - fare depends on your final station
around 9 USDcurrently £7.20
SF city centre - 8.95 USDcurrently £7.16
Oakland city centre - 9.35 USDcurrently £7.48

Airport – City centre (bus)

The cheapest option to get to San francisco city centre is by bus line 292 or KX. Follow ‘SamTrans’ posts at the airport to get to bus stops. You can buy the bus tickets from the bus driver only.

You can also buy tickets for San Francisco public transport services at information kiosks at the airport (not valid on BART trains).

Fares
Single ticket - from airport
around 2.25 USDcurrently £1.80
Single ticket - from city centre
around 4 USDcurrently £3.20

You can conveniently search for all types of connections to your destination, including prices, on their official website here.

Published 6 September 20206 September 2020 by Dave