Airport address:
San Francisco International Airport, PO Box 8097, San Francisco, CA 94128-9916
Current:
The Harvey Milk Terminal 1 was modernized and reopened in July 2019.
Information:
Airport information stands are located in all terminals in the arrival area when collecting luggage (24 hours a day). Information is available in over 166 languages. Auxiliary desks are located on the upper level of all terminals (opening times: 8 am-10pm daily) The airport travel agency is located in the international terminal on the main level at the entrance to Gate G. The travel agency offers flight tickets, fax services, luggage securing accessories, hotel reservations, shipping services, flight insurance and luggage storage (Tel: (650) 877 04 22).
Website:
http://www.flysfo.com
Directions:
Coming from downtown San Francisco, take Route 101 south and follow the signs to the airport. To get to the rental car center, turn left onto Interstate 380 and then right onto South Airport Boulevard. To get to the long-term car park, take Route 101 south, exit at San Bruno Avenue / San Francisco International Airport, turn left and follow the signs to the airport.
Transfer between the terminals:
The AirTrain automatic shuttle train with its two routes Red Line and Blue Line runs around the clock between the terminals, parking lots, the BART station and the rental car center.
Flight time:
from Frankfurt: 11 hours 20 minutes, from Vienna (with stopover): 13 hours 50 minutes, from Zurich: 12 hours 15 minutes
Airport information
IATA airport code: SFO
Address: San Francisco International Airport, PO Box 8097, San Francisco, CA 94128-9916
Location: 22 miles south of downtown San Francisco.
Number of terminals: 4th
Phone: (800) 435 9736 or (650) 821 82 11 (airport information)
Time zone: Pacific Standard Time: CET -9 (CET -8 from March 8th to November 1st 2020)
Public transportation
Public transport – street:
Bus: Buses run from the airport to destinations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Between Terminal 1 and 2, buses leave from Level 1 and next to the central traffic island, from Terminal 3 at the exit near the baggage claim. At the international terminal, buses leave from level 1, courtyard A.
Wheelchair Accessible SamTrans – buses (Tel: 1800660 42 87; www.samtrans.com) run from the airport to various BART – stations and link the airport to the San Mateo district and to destinations in San Francisco and Palo Alto.
Private bus companies (airporters) operate within San Francisco and in many Bay Area cities. The fans include American Airporter Shuttle (tel: (415) 202 07 33; www.americanairporter.com) and San Francisco City Shuttle (tel: (888) 850 78 78; www.sanfranciscocityshuttle.com). A list of all providers is available on the airport website.
Further information on public transport is available from the airport information stands and the SFO transport hotline.
Shuttle: Minibuses drive passengers directly to their desired destination upon reservation. The providers include Bayporter Express (Tel: (877) 467 18 00; www.bayporter.com) and Davis Airporter (800) 565 51 53; www.davisairporter.com).
Some providers are available at the airport and can also be used without prior reservation, including Advanced Airport Shuttle (Tel: (650) 504 66 41) and Airport Express (Tel: (415) 775 51 21; www.airportexpresssf.com). A list of all providers is available on the airport website.
Taxi: Taxis (Tel: 1191 at the airport) depart from the lower level at Terminal 1 and 3 baggage claim. At the international terminal, taxis depart from arrival level 2. A trip to the city center costs around 45 – 60 US $ (travel time: 15-30 minutes). According to airport regulations, taxi drivers are obliged to accept trips to all destinations.
Numerous limousine providers drive to and from the airport, including Bella Limo Service (Tel: (925) 575 15 65) and Early Bird Airport Shuttle (Tel: (831) 462 39 33; www.earlybirdairportshuttle.com). A list of all providers is available on the airport website. Telephones are available in the arrival and baggage claim areas where limousines can be ordered free of charge.
Public transport – train:
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains (tel: (650) 992 22 78; www.bart.gov) connect the airport to San Francisco city center (journey time: 30 minutes) and are located in the departure area on Level 3 of the International Terminals. From the other terminals can be reached by AirTrain to BART – railway station in the garage G.
The free AirTrain Flughafenshuttlezug ( www.flysfo.com) departs from the terminals and parking for BART – Station. The BART trains take you from the airport to the CalTrain station in Millbrae. The wheelchair-accessible Caltrain – shuttle train (Tel: 1800660 4287; www.caltrain.com) connects San Francisco with San Jose.
Facilities in the terminal
Money:
ATMs are available in all terminals and boarding areas. There is a bank (opening hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sa 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.) in Terminal 3. Exchange offices and money exchange machines are located in the international terminals.
Means of communication:
Mailboxes and postage stamp machines are distributed throughout the airport. Mobile phones can be rented on level 1 (arrival) of entry areas A, B, C, D, E and three stands between the FG of the domestic terminals and on levels 2 and 3 of entry areas A and G in the international terminal. Free Wi-Fi service is available. Public telephones with data ports are available in all terminals.
Gastronomy:
There are numerous restaurants, bars and cafes in all terminals. The offer includes a Mexican and Japanese restaurant in Terminal 2 and in the international terminal, as well as a pub with a wide variety of beers.
Shopping:
There are several duty-free shops in the international terminal and one each in Terminal 1 and 3. In Terminal 3 there are gift shops, newsagents and bookstores, clothing, toy and confectionery shops, a store with aviation history souvenirs, a leather goods store and more a perfumery / drugstore. Terminal 1 has gift shops, a newsagents, bookstore, California gift shop, and candy store. In the new international terminal there is a pharmacy, a toy shop, clothing, travel accessories and leather goods shops, a shop with souvenirs on aviation history, a golf shop, newsagents, gift shops, a perfumery / drugstore, candy, sunglasses, delicatessen shops, a wine shop, a watch and a sports shop.
Luggage:
A lost and found office (Tel: (650) 821 70 14) is located in the arrival area of Terminal 1. Luggage trolleys are available free of charge in the arrival area and are available for a fee in all terminals. The Airport Travel Agency in the international terminal offers baggage storage and baggage packaging in foil. Luggage services can be requested on Tel: 98 21 91 87.
Other facilities:
There is a hairdressing salon in entrance area G. An ambulance is available on the lower level of the international terminal. There are also shower facilities, children’s play areas, changing and nursing rooms, several shoe cleaning services and an aviation museum. Charging stations for electronic equipment are available in all terminals. Small exhibition areas can be found everywhere in the airport, and an aquarium in Terminal 1 shortens the waiting time for passengers.
Airport facilities
Conference and meeting rooms:
The Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum (tel: (650) 821 50 42) on the airport grounds can be rented for events. A catering service is available. Workstations with power connections are spread across the entire airport.
The Airport Travel Agency (Tel: (650) 877 04 22) offers a fax and photocopying service as well as mailing daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The nearby South San Francisco Conference Center (tel: (650) 877 8787; www.ssfconf.com) offers conference and business facilities as well as individual computer workstations with the appropriate software and Internet connections.
There are no business facilities in Terminals 1 and 3, but many airlines offer lounges.
Accessibility facilities:
The airport is easily accessible for wheelchair users and airline employees are available to help older and disabled travelers. Travelers who need help or would like to hire a wheelchair are asked to notify their airline in advance. TDD / TDY phones for the hearing impaired are available throughout the airport. Blind people can use an app for smartphones as a navigation aid through Terminal 2. Disabled parking spaces are available in all parking garages and parking lots (Tel: (650) 821 79 00).
Parking spaces:
Parking spaces for short-term parking (hourly and day parking) with disabled parking spaces and direct access to the terminals are available at all terminals both in the domestic (domestic parking garage) and in the international parking garage (garages A and G). Parking fees in the ParkFast garage in area F on level 4 opposite Terminal 3 are paid with the credit card when driving out.
A long-term car park is located 3.5 km north of the airport on South Airport Boulevard. A free shuttle bus runs between the long-term car park and the terminals (travel time: 10 minutes).
Short-term parking spaces for drivers who pick up flight passengers are available on South Airport Boulevard. It takes about 5 minutes to walk to the terminal. Parking time is limited to 60 minutes.
Car rental:
The rental car center is located outside the terminal building on Highway 101 North. The blue line of the AirTrain automatic airport shuttle train runs from all terminals and parking lots directly to the rental car center. By car, take the San Bruno Avenue exit and then turn onto McDonnell Road.
The following companies are represented in the rental car center:
Alamo (Tel: (650) 616 24 00),
Avis (Tel: (650) 877 67 80),
Budget (Tel: (650) 877 09 98),
Dollar (Tel: (650) 244 41 31),
Enterprise (Tel: (650) 697 92 00),
Fox (Tel: (800) 225 43 69),
Hertz (Tel: (650) 624 66 00),
National (Tel: (650) 616 30 00) and
Thrifty (tel: (877) 283 08 98).
