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San
Francisco Airport (SFO)
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San
Francisco International Airport (IATA: SFO, ICAO:
KSFO, FAA LID: SFO) is a major international airport
located 13 miles (21 km) south of downtown San Francisco,
California, United States, adjacent to the cities
of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo
County. It is often referred to as SFO. The airport
has flights to destinations throughout North America
and is a major gateway to Europe, Asia, and Australasia.
San
Francisco International Airport Address
San
Francisco International Airport
S McDonnell Rd & S Link Rd
San Francisco, CA 94128
San Francisco International Airport
Terminal Information
Introduction
San Francisco International Airport
has four terminals - the International Terminal, Terminal
1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3. The three domestic
terminals - 1, 2, and 3 - are laid out in a partial
ring, with the domestic parking garage in its middle.
The International Terminal completes the ring, with
its dedicated parking placed in front of it, outside
the ring. Presently, Terminal 2 is undergoing renovation.
The
terminals are linked together by the AirTrain internal
transit system, operating 24 hours per day. It is
also possible for passengers to walk between terminals.
Each terminal serves several airlines and a large
number of destinations. Each terminal is well served
by restaurants, bars, newsstands, shops, and ATMs
(cash machines). Business services and banking services
are available in the airport. Airline club lounges
cater to the needs of frequent flyers.
International
Terminal
San Francisco Airport's International
Terminal serves many airlines, including Aeroflot,
Air China, Air France, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines
(Mexico), All Nippon Airways, Asiana, British Airways,
Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Japan Airlines, KLM Royal
Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, LACSA, Lufthansa, Mexicana,
Northwest (international), Philippine Airlines, Singapore
Airlines, TACA, United Airlines (international), and
Virgin Atlantic.
The International Terminal has two
sets of gates: A1-A12 and G91-G102. The terminal has
two AirTrain stations, located at opposite ends of
the main hall, at one level above ticketing.
Terminal
1
San Francisco Airport's Terminal 1
serves Air Canada, Alaska Airlines (domestic / Canada),
America West Airlines, ATA Airlines, Continental Airlines,
Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines,
Midwest Airlines, Northwest (domestic), and US Airways.
Terminal 1 has three sets of gates:
Rotunda A contains gates 1-17, boarding area B contains
gates 20-36, and boarding area C contains gates 40-48.
The terminal has one AirTrain station, which is located
on level 5 of the domestic parking garage. A tunnel,
elevators, and escalators connect it with the boarding
areas.
Terminal
3
San Francisco Airport's Terminal 3
serves American Airlines, Ted, and United Airlines
(domestic).
Terminal 3 has two sets of gates:
boarding area E contains gates 60-67 and boarding
area F contains gates 68-90. The Terminal 3 AirTrain
station is on level 5 of the parking garage. A bridge
("skybridge") links the station with mezzanine-level
3 of the terminal proper.
Shopping
San Francisco International Airport
offers visitors a whole range of shopping options.
Some of the stores represented at San Francisco International
Airport include California Wine Country Gourmet, City
by the Way, and Pacific Gateway Gift and News.
Gift Shops
Gift shops at San Francisco International Airport
include:
Bayshore Gifts and News
City by the Bay
CNBC News
Gift Shop
News and Gifts
Pacific Gateway Gift and News
San Francisco Bay Reader
Zoom Travel Stores
Restaurants
and Bars
San Francisco International Airport
has a variety of fast-food outlets, bars, and restaurants,
including Bay Bridge Snack Bar, Emporio Rulli, Bay
Bridge Bar and Snacks, Firewood Grill, and Tomokazu
Japanese Cuisine.
Business
Services
San Francisco International Airport's
array of world-class amenities for the business traveler
has given the airport a reputation as one of the best
in America for business travelers. In addition, there
is a fully equipped business center.
Internet
Access
Internet access is available for visitors at San Francisco
International Airport. The PowerPort Battery Charging
and Internet Access Station can be used by travelers
to recharge electronic devices, surf the Web, check
mail etc.
Mobile
Phone Rental
Action Cellular Rent A Phone International provides
cellular and satellite phones for business travelers
who need to stay in touch. They are located in the
domestic terminals near the arrivals / baggage claim
level of boarding areas C and F. Action Cellular can
also be found in the International Terminal near the
arrivals level.
Fax
and Photocopying
The San Francisco International Airport's business
center offers fax and copier services.
Post
Express mail services, including UPS and Federal Express,
can be found at the departures / ticketing level of
the International Terminal, near boarding area G.
Currency
Exchange and ATMs
Bank of America has a full-service
branch located on the mezzanine level of Terminal
3. Services provided include deposits, withdrawals,
loans, credit card cash advances, cashier's checks,
money orders, and traveler's checks.
Foreign
Exchange Desks
Travelex America, Inc has several currency exchange
offices and automated currency exchange machines located
throughout the International Terminal. Business hours
vary due to flight scheduling.
Automatic
Teller Machines (ATMs)
ATMS are located at the San Francisco International
Airport in all three terminals.
Airlines
At San Francisco Airport
History
of San Francisco Airport
The
airport was first opened on May 7, 1927 on 150 acres
(607,000 m²) of cow pasture. The land was leased
from prominent local landowner Ogden L. Mills, (who
in turn had leased it from his grandfather Darius
O. Mills) and was named Mills Field Municipal Airport.
It remained Mills Field until 1931, when it was renamed
San Francisco Municipal Airport. "Municipal"
was replaced by "International" in 1955.
The
U.S. Weather Bureau began keeping weather observations
at Mills Field in May 1927. The weather records have
continued under the National Weather Service, which
maintained the Bay Area forecast office in the airport's
control tower building until forecasting was moved
to Redwood City. Although not the official weather
observation site for San Francisco (with the official
site existing in Duboce Park), data from SFO's automated
weather station often appears as belonging to "San
Francisco" in media sources outside of the Bay
Area.
United
Airlines used the Mills Field airport as well as the
Oakland Municipal Airport for its services throughout
the 1930s.
Starting
in 1935, Pan American World Airways used the facility
as the terminal for its "China Clipper"
flying boat service across the Pacific Ocean. Domestic
flights did not begin en masse, however, until World
War II, when Oakland International Airport was taken
over by the military and its passenger flights were
shifted to San Francisco.
After
the war, United Airlines used the Pan Am terminal
for its flights to Hawaii. It has grown to become
one of five United Airlines hubs and SFO is home of
United's largest maintenance facility.
In
1954, the airport's Central Passenger Terminal opened
for passenger service. Jet service to SFO began in
the late 1950s: United built a large maintenance facility
at San Francisco for its new Douglas DC-8s. In July
1959 the first jetway bridge was installed in the
United States.
Operations,
expansion, retreat, and recovery
In
1989, an airport master plan and associated Environmental
Impact Report was prepared to guide expansion and
development over the next two decades. During the
economic boom of the 1990s and the dot-com boom, SFO
became the sixth busiest international airport in
the world. However, since 2001, when the economic
boom times ended, SFO has fallen back out of the top
twenty.
SFO
has expanded continuously through the decades. Most
recently, a new $1 billion international terminal
opened in December 2000, replacing Terminal 2 as the
international terminal. This new terminal contains
a world-class aviation library and museum. SFO’s
long-running program of cultural exhibits, now called
the San Francisco Airport Museums, won unprecedented
accreditation by the American Association of Museums
in 1999.
A
long-planned extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit
system to the airport opened on June 22, 2003, allowing
passengers to board trains directly at the airport's
international terminal bound for San Francisco or
points in the East Bay. In 2003, the AirTrain shuttle
system opened, conveying passengers between terminals,
parking lots, the SFO BART station, and the rental
car center on small automatic trains.
Top
20 things to See and Do in San Francisco
Cable
Car
With
so much to see in San Francisco, where do you start?
Here are the Top 20 Destinations among San Francisco
visitors, according to statistics collected by the
San Francisco Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Also:
Top choice outside of San Francisco
Browse
through to decide which spots interest you most.
Fisherman's
Wharf
Shops, shops, and a plethora of great seafood restaurants
line the Wharf, where you still see vestiges of the
old fishing crafts used by the Italian immigrants
who brought the Wharf to life after the Gold Rush.
Chinatown
Home to the largest urban population of Chinese people
outside China, Chinatown is so authentic, you'll forget
you're in San Francisco.
Golden
Gate Bridge
You've seen it in movies, television, books and postcards
- now go ahead and take a walk on it! And don't forget
your camera.
Union
Square
The finest shopping is found here with heavy-hitters
like Macy's, Tiffany's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman
Marcus. Side streets hide some great surprises, too.
Cable
Car Ride
Can you really say you've been to San Francisco without
a ride on a clanking cable car? And nobody thought
they'd work back in 1873...
Dungeness
Crabs
Golden
Gate Park
A beautiful oasis in the middle of a bustling city,
you'll find museums, gardens, a lake - even a herd
of bison.
Alcatraz
One visit to this foreboding island and you'll know
why escape was so appealing! Notorious criminals did
time here: Al Capone and George "Machine Gun"
Kelly, to name a few.
Museums/Galleries
Some of the finest museums and galleries in the world
reside in San Francisco, from SFMOMA to the Asian
Art Museum to the DeYoung—all of
them offer a stunning diversity of artistic expression.
Union
Street
Amidst chic shops and restaurants, enjoy the brightly
painted Victorians and secret courtyards. As much
fun at night as it is in the daytime.
Broadway/North
Beach
Settled by Italian immigrants, the area offers outstanding
Italian food and charming, old world cafés.
The effects of subsequent immigrants makes this neighborhood
a fascinating melange of history and cuisine. And
talk about nightlife!
Fishing
Fleet - Fishermans Wharf
Yerba
Buena Center / Moscone Convention Center
In this area south of Market Street sits the city's
premier meeting and exhibition facility, the Museum
of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and
the newest addition, the Jewish Museum.
Haight
Ashbury District
Nerve center of 1968's "Summer of Love,"
the neighborhood is more commercial today than it
was then, but still worth a stroll for its history
and exceptional architecture.
Mission
District
So named because of Mission Dolores' presence (oldest
Mission in the state), the area remains largely Hispanic
in its population and feel. Truly authentic Mexican
food is found here, particularly at 16th and Valencia.
Japan
Center
Since 1968, this tranquil 5-acre complex has showcased
the best of Japanese life: a spa, shops, furnishings,
and of course, great restaurants. Two public parking
garages are available.
South
of Market
With the proliferation of Internet companies in the
Bay Area, South of Market (SOMA) is now considered
one of the hippest neighborhoods in the city. Check
out the California Historical Society, the Jewish
Museum, and the Ansel Adams photography center, too.
Mission
Dolores
Castro
Street
Much of the gay and lesbian community lives and works
in this neighborhood. Enjoy a fascinating assortment
of shops, restaurants, pubs and a spectacular grand
old movie palace.
Live
Theater
The theater district (not far from Union Square) offers
a wide range of live performances, both musical and
dramatic. And fine dining is in close proximity for
your convenience.
San
Francisco Zoo
Located near the southern portion of Ocean Beach,
the zoo is a great destination for family fun, 365
days a year. Admission is free the first Wednesday
of every month.
Wine
Tasting in San Francisco
Visit
the Winery Collective is the first multi-winery tasting
room in San Francisco focused on boutique wineries.
This unique experience allowing you to taste wines
from dozens of small wineries across California right
in San Francisco without having to travel to each
of the wine regions
Concerts,
Performing Art and Sporting Events
Blessed with a fine symphony, a much-revered opera
season, and an acclaimed ballet troupe, San Francisco
offers something for every taste. San Francisco is
home to two outstanding parks: famous Candlestick
and the new Pac Bell, where home runs land in the
San Francisco Bay.
Tall
Ship Festival
TOP
THINGS TO DO OUTSIDE OF SAN FRANCISCO
San
Francisco Car Rental
Sausalito
Tiburon and Muir Woods
A lovely Ferry ride transports you to Sausalito (a
bayside village tucked amongst the hills across the
Bay) or Tiburon (former railroad town now similar
in atmosphere to Sausalito). Take a car or tour to
Muir Woods, the 560-acre park where redwoods over
1,000 years old stand tall.
Wine
Country
Sonoma and Napa counties are best known for their
vineyards, thanks to the mild sunny climate and fertile
soil. Well under two hours away from San Francisco,
Wine Country is a perfect day trip.
Carmel
and Monterey
For a romantic weekend, few spots offer the charm
of Carmel along the Monterey Peninsula. Experience
Monterey's famous Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf,
and Aquarium.
Yosemite
National Park
A three hour drive through the Gold Country takes
you to the most spectacular National Park. Yosemite
is home to North America's five highest waterfalls,
Yosemite Falls, Ribbon Falls and Sentinel Falls. See
the images captured by Ansel Adams - Half Dome, Cathedral
Rocks and the 3500 ft El Capitan.
Berkeley
and Oakland
Berkeley is home to the first University of California
campus and boasts a history unparalleled among American
universities. College Avenue, Fourth Street, and Telegraph
Avenue are your best bets. In Oakland, check out Jack
London Square, the historic Paramount Theater (art-deco
movie palace), and the Oakland Museum.
Reno
and Lake Tahoe
Situated in the center of the highest concentration
of ski resorts in North America with no less than
40 golf courses and countless casinos, Reno/Lake Tahoe
provides recreational opportunities galore just a
few hours from San Francisco.
Parks
and Beaches in the region
San Francisco has its fair share of beaches (Ocean,
Baker, and China), but don't expect to do much sun-worshipping
- it's rarely warm enough to bare all. Go north and
explore Point Lobos, or south to enjoy the unique
college/beach town of Santa Cruz.
Theme
Parks
Always a hit with families, San Francisco offers three
regional theme parks. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom,
Bonfante Gardens and Paramount's Great America.
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