San Francisco Airport Guide (SFO)



sfo

Full Airport Name

San Francisco International Airport

Address

PO Box 8097, San Francisco, California 94128-8097, USA

Airport Code

SFO

Country Code

1

Telephone

1 800 435 9736

Fax

None

E-mail

Via the airport's website

Website

Number of Terminals

4

Time Zone

GMT - 8 (GMT - 7 from first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October)

Location

The airport is located 22km (14 miles) south of San Francisco.


Transfer Between Terminals

The 24-hour AirTrain light rail service links the International Terminal with the other terminals, parking garages, the Airport BART station and the car hire centre.

Driving Directions

From central San Francisco, take Hwy-101 south and follow signs to the airport. For access to the car hire centre, turn left onto I-380 and turn right onto South Airport Boulevard. For access to the long-term car park, take Hwy-101 south, exit at San Bruno Avenue/San Francisco International Airport, take the San Bruno Avenue exit, turn left and follow the signs.

Car Parking

Short-term (hourly and daily) car parking, with direct access to the terminals, is available at both the domestic and international parking garages. Passengers flying to Canada should use the domestic terminals parking garage. Valet parking for all terminals is located in the domestic garage, off the Departures level roadway. A long-term car park is located 3.5km (2 miles) north of the airport terminals. A free shuttle bus service operates between the long-term car park and the terminals. Parking information is available (tel: (650) 821 7111).

Car Hire

The rental car centre is located outside of the terminals but on airport property and is linked to the terminals and BART station on the 24-hour AirTrain Blue Line. Eight major car hire companies are based at the centre: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Public Transport

Rail: The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) (tel: (650) 992 2278) operates a rapid rail service to northern San Mateo County, San Francisco (journey time - 30 minutes) and the East Bay from the SFO BART station on the Departures level of the International Terminal. The station is linked to all terminals via the free AirTrain service. BART services connect to Millbrae Station, from where a Caltrain (tel: 1 800 660 4287) shuttle service runs between San Francisco and San Jose.
Road: Bus: SamTrans (tel: 1 800 660 4287) buses run from the terminals to destinations in San Mateo County and parts of San Francisco and Palo Alto, 24 hours. For further ground transportation information, visit the airport information booths or call the Bay Area Transit information line (tel: 511; website: www.511.org).
Taxi: Taxis depart from outside the Arrivals levels of all terminals. Taxi drivers are required by airport regulations to accept fares to all destinations.
Minibus: Door-to-door minibuses provide services between the airport and various destinations in San Francisco and surrounds; minibuses are available on a walk-up basis until 2300, and pick-up is outside the Departures levels of all terminals.

Information and Help Desks

Airport information booths are located on the Arrivals level of all terminals. Computerised information kiosks are available at the desks 24 hours a day. Travelers Aid kiosks are located on the Departures levels of all terminals. They are open daily 0800-2000.

Airport Facilities

Money and communications: ATMs are available in all terminals and boarding lounges. There is a full service bank in Terminal 3. Bureaux de change and automated currency exchange machines are located throughout the International Terminal. Telephones equipped with data ports are located throughout the terminals. Wireless Internet is available in all public spaces. Mobile telephones can be hired.
Eating and drinking: There are various bars, cafés and restaurants in each terminal.
Shopping: Four duty-free shops are located in the International Terminal. There is a duty-free kiosk in Terminal 1, boarding area B. Other shops include gift shops, newsagents, bookshops, clothing and accessories stores, sweet shops, toy shops and cosmetic and toiletries shops.
Luggage: There is a lost property office on the Arrivals level of Terminal 1 (tel: (650) 821 7014). Trolleys are available for a fee throughout the terminals. Left-luggage is available at the Airport Travel Agency, in the International Terminal.
Other facilities: These include a medical centre, nurseries, showers, a hair salon, shoeshine services and an aquarium.

Conference and Business Facilities

The Airport Travel Agency (tel: (650) 877 0422) in the International Terminal provides fax and photocopying services.

Facilities for Disabled Travellers

The airport is physically accessible and airline employees can assist passengers with disabilities before departure or upon arrival; passengers requiring wheelchairs should contact their airline prior to travel. There are TDD/TTY phones throughout the airport for hearing-impaired travellers. Reserved car parking is also available in all car parks (tel: (650) 821 7111); the shuttle bus from the long-term car park is equipped with a lift. Ramp-accessible taxis are available. SamTrans buses and the Caltrain shuttle are wheelchair accessible. So are all BART stations.

Hotels

Hotels located very near the airport include the Holiday Inn San Francisco International Airport North (tel: (650) 873 3550; website: www.ichotelsgroup.com), Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport (tel: (650) 347 1234; website: http://sanfranciscoairport.hyatt.com), San Francisco Airport Marriott (tel: (650) 692 9100; website: www.marriott.com) and the Sheraton Gateway Airport (tel: (650) 340 8500; website: www.sheratonsfo.com). Courtesy telephones for hotel reservations are located on the Arrivals levels of all terminals.





Find a guide



Related Guides

Related Features




 ©Copyright: World Travel Guide - Nexus Business Media. All Rights Reserved 2008 Terms of Use | Privacy Policy