San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
Discover San Francisco International Airport, its facilities and services it has on offer, the top places to fly to from the airport and with which airlines you can do this with.
About San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport (IATA: SFO) formerly known as Lindbergh Field, is an international airport that serves around 58 million passengers each year. The airport opened in March 1927 and serves cities throughout North America and is a major gateway to Asia and Europe. The airport covers an area of 5,207 acres and owns four runways arranged in two intersecting sets of parallel runways.
San Francisco International Airport is the largest airport in Northern California and the second busiest in California, it was the 27th busiest airport in the United States and the 24th busiest in the world in 2017 by passenger count. The airport is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
San Francisco International Airport Location
The airport is located 13 miles (21 km) south of downtown San Francisco, California:
Facilities
San Francisco International Airport provides services and facilities to offer comfort and ease for its travelers. In total, the airport has 115 gates with shops, food, and beverage throughout the terminals in the airport.
Facilities Include:
A wide range of shopping and dining shops are available from top high street restaurants, cafes and luxury and designer shops.
Free WiFi Accessibility
Workstations
Nursing Rooms
Children's Play Area
Mobile Charging
Shower Rooms
Spa and Massage
Reflection Rooms
Reading Room
ATMs
Currency Exchange
Lounges Include:
Air France – KLM Lounge (International Terminal): includes beverages, air conditioning, disabled access, WiFi, TV, newspapers, and magazines.
American Airlines Admirals Club (Terminal 2) Available facilities include snacks, beverages, WiFi, TV, Workstations, hotspot printing.
Centurion Lounge (Terminal 3): offers food and beverages, shower, workspaces, family room, printing, newspapers, and magazines.
Delta Sky Club (Terminal 1): offers snacks, beverages, WiFi, TV, Telephones printing, newspapers, and magazines.
United Club (Multiple Locations): offers air conditioning, beverages, TV, WiFi, disabled access, newspapers, and magazines.
USO Lounge / Military Lounge (Terminal 1): passengers can enjoy snacks, hot and cold beverages, WiFi, TV, computers, game room, showers, telephone, air conditioning, Nursery, children's toys available, books and magazines all for active military members in the US military and their families.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse: passengers can enjoy air conditioning, beverages, showers, TV, WiFi, disabled access, newspapers, and magazines.
Book Lounge Passes for San Francisco International Airport
Did you know that you can buy lounge passes for San Francisco International Airport with Alternative Airlines? You can purchase them for Air France - KLM Lounge.
Runways
San Francisco International airport currently has four runways.
| Direction | Length (ft) | Length (m) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10L/28R | 11,870 | 3,618 | Asphalt |
| 10R/28L | 11,381 | 3,469 | Asphalt |
| 1R/19L | 8,650 | 2,637 | Asphalt |
| 1L/19R | 7,650 | 2,332 | Asphalt |
Terminals
Terminal 1
Formerly known as the "South Terminal", Harvey Milk Terminal 1. In total it has 34 gates, is boarding area B and C.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 formerly known as the "Central Terminal". It was opened in 1954 and now has 14 gates in total. The terminal is used by Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 formerly known as the "North Terminal". The terminal was opened on April 1971 and has in total 39 gates. This terminal is used for domestic flight and used by United Airlines and United Express.
International
The International Terminal was first opened in December 2000 and it's the largest international terminal in North America, and the largest building in the world built on base isolators to protect against earthquakes. In total the International terminals has 28 gates. The following airlines fly from the international terminal Aer Lingus, Fiji Airways, WestJet, WOW air, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Sun Country Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Airlines that fly to San Francisco International Airport
The table below has all the airlines that fly passenger services from San Francisco International Airport:
Top Destinations
The Most Popular International Destinations
| Rank | Destination | Passengers | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | 1,107,153 | Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, Singapore, United |
| 2 | London–Heathrow, United Kingdom | 1,027,982 | British Airways, United, Virgin Atlantic |
| 3 | Taipei–Taoyuan, Taiwan | 1,002,191 | China Airlines, EVA Air, United |
| 4 | Vancouver, Canada | 713,472 | Air Canada, United, WestJet |
| 5 | Seoul–Incheon, South Korea | 324,510 | Asiana, Korean Air, United |
| 6 | Frankfurt–am Main, Germany | 300,276 | Lufthansa, United |
| 7 | Toronto–Pearson, Canada | 273,766 | Air Canada |
| 8 | Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France | 255,030 | Air France, United, XL Airways |
| 9 | Shanghai–Pudong, China | 240,312 | China Eastern, United |
| 10 | Beijing–Capital, China | 219,371 | Air China, United |
The Most Popular Domestic Destinations
| Rank | Destination | Passengers | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, California | 1,907,540 | Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, United |
| 2 | Seattle/Tacoma, Washington | 1,134,310 | Alaska, Delta, United |
| 3 | Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 1,103,330 | Alaska, American, Frontier, United |
| 4 | New York–Kennedy, New York | 1,017,010 | Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue |
| 5 | Newark, New Jersey | 986,100 | Alaska, United |
| 6 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 923,400 | Alaska, Frontier, Southwest, United |
| 7 | San Diego, California | 896,880 | Alaska, Southwest, United |
| 8 | Denver, Colorado | 878,110 | Frontier, Southwest, United |
| 9 | Boston, Massachusetts | 751,100 | Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, United |
| 10 | Portland, Oregon | 700,550 | Alaska, Southwest, Sun Country, United |
The most popular destinations from May 2018 - April 2019. Statistics from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs and The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
How to get to San Francisco International Airport
By Road
Many companies provide taxicab services at San Francisco International Airport. If you need a taxi, you can find them outside on the Arrivals/Baggage Claim level. There are drop-off and pick-up areas at the terminals and short and long-stay car parks you can use to park your car at a cost.
By Public Transport
There are many trains including Amtrak connections, BART and CalTrain offering services between the airport and downtown San Francisco taking 30 minutes each way. In addition to this, SamTrans Public Bus Service provides 24-hour bus service using 3 bus routes between the airport, San Mateo County and parts of San Francisco.
By Rental Car
The airport's onsite car rental agencies operate within the airport’s Rental Car Center, accessible from the airport terminals via AirTrain Blue Line. Off-site car rental agencies provide a free shuttle. Rental agencies such as Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, and Thrifty.
You can hire a selection of cars from car hire companies. The facility operates every hour seven days a week. All car rental pick-ups and drop-offs for rental car companies serving San Diego International Airport occur at the Rental Car Center.