Cheap flights from
San Francisco (SFO)

The airport code for San Francisco International Airport is SFO.

There is one on-site hotel at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The Grand Hyatt at SFO is located at the entrance to the airport and connected to the AirTrain line. The hotel has soundproofed rooms, 24-hour room service, two bars and a restaurant, a yoga room, a massage treatment room, and meeting space. Rooms start at around $250.

Harvey Milk Terminal 1: In Terminal 1, there is an American Airlines Admirals Club. It has showers, a kids' room, food and a full bar, one conference room, and WiFi.

Terminal 2: Terminal 2 is home to an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, an Alaska Airlines lounge, and Delta Sky Club. The Air Canada lounge features a designated cell phone-free quiet zone, snacks, a full-service bar, business centers with printers, and showers. The Alaska Airlines lounge has a cold and hot buffet, Starbucks coffee, a full bar including craft cocktails, lounge chairs, and TVs.

Terminal 3: Terminal 3 has an American Express Centurion Lounge and a United Club. The Centurion Lounge has unique amenities like a Napa Valley wine-tasting area, a menu from James Beard Award-winning chef Ravi Kupar, shower suites, work areas, and a family room. The United Club has a full-service bar, snacks, and WiFi.

International Terminal A: The first international terminal has an AirFrance-KLM Lounge, British Airways Lounge, China Airlines Lounge, and Emirates Lounge, another AirFrance Golden Gate Lounge, and a Virgin Atlantic Club House Lounge. The AirFrance-KLM Lounge has a buffet, snacks, a full-service bar, showers, flight monitors, and TVs. The Air France Golden Gate Lounge is newer (opened in summer 2023) and features a hot and cold buffet, a bar with French wine and Champagne, a separate space for first-class passengers with its own restaurant, shower suites, and another separate space for Flying Blue Ultimate customers. The British Airways Lounge and China Airlines Lounge also have a buffet, full-service bar, reading materials, flight monitors, free WiFi, and runway views. Emirates Lounge at SFO has a large buffet with global food options, a bar, showers, internet terminals, and lounge chairs. The Virgin Atlantic Club House has California-inspired food, signature cocktails, showers, and luggage storage. International Terminal G: The second international terminal has a United Club and a United Polaris Lounge. The United Club has drinks, light snacks, WiFi, and charging ports, while the United Polaris Lounge has a full buffet and menu options, a full-service bar, quiet suites, and showers.

Service animals must be leashed at all times. Non-service animals must be in a kennel, except when in relief areas. There are several pet relief areas throughout the airport, both outside and inside security, all with drinking bowls and garbage cans. They are indicated by printed paw prints on the arrivals level and by overhead signage in the departures level.

Pet relief areas:

• Terminal 1, Courtyard 2, near arrivals/baggage claim (outside security)
• Terminal 3, Courtyard 4, near arrivals/baggage claim (outside security)
• Terminal 1, B gates (inside security)
• Terminal 1, near gate C5 (inside security)
• TTerminal 2, D gates (inside security)
• Terminal 3, F gates near gates F11-F22 (inside security)

San Francisco International Airport has four terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and an International Terminal Building with A and G sections.

Harvey Milk Terminal 1: Domestic terminal with flights from American Airlines, JetBlue, and Southwest. The American Airlines Admirals Club is located in this terminal. Terminal 1 has several coffee options, a chocolate store, restaurants like Bistrot Bay Area, Bun Me, and Amy’s Drive-Thru, as well as a L’Occitane, electronics store, gift store, and sunglasses store.

Terminal 2: Domestic terminal with flights from Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, and Delta Air Lines, as well as an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, an Alaska Airlines lounge, and Delta Sky Club. Dining options include Vino Volo, Farmerbrown, Wakaba, Napa Farms Market, Lark Creek Grill, and more. There are several magazine and gift stands, a Sunglass Hut, a bookstore, a Brookstone, Kiehl’s, and other shops.

Terminal 3: Terminal 3 is United’s domestic flight terminal and home to a United Club and a Centurion Lounge. There are 26 dining and drinking options in Terminal 3, including Mission Bar & Grill, Green Beans Coffee, SF Uncork’d, Urban Tortilla, Starbucks, and a San Francisco Giants Clubhouse. Shopping options include a bookstore, luggage store, electronics store, See’s Candies, and more.

International Terminal: All international flights depart from SFO’s international terminal, and this is also where you can find all international lounges. The BART, San Francisco’s public transit line, departs for downtown San Francisco and elsewhere from the International Terminal. The terminal is divided into A and G sections, with a central main hall. There are dining options near both A and G gates, as well as in the main hall, including coffee shops, a 24th & Mission Taco House, Koi Palace Express, Wendy’s, and more. This terminal also has several Duty Free locations, luxury shops like Burberry, Coach, Hermes, and Gucci, and other options.

CLEAR is available in Terminal 1 at Checkpoint B, in Terminal 2 at Checkpoint D, Terminal 3 at Checkpoint F, and in the International Terminal for both A and G gates.

TSA PreCheck is available at all SFO security checkpoints except for Checkpoint F3.

Global Entry is available for international arrivals at San Francisco International Airport. Enrollment is available by appointment at the Global Entry Office on the arrivals level of the International Terminal.

SFO suggests checking with your airline for how early you should arrive, but notes that most airlines suggest arriving two hours early for a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. Whether you need to follow those guidelines depends on several things.

How big is the airport, and where is your gate? SFO is fairly large, and if you need to take the AirTrain to your terminal, you’ll want a few extra minutes. Similarly, if you’re arriving via the BART, add a few extra minutes to walk from the station to your terminal.

Are you checked in? Most airlines cut off check-in 30-60 minutes before the flight is scheduled to depart. Check in online to save time, but if you can’t, make sure you arrive before the cutoff.

Are you checking luggage? Similarly, airlines institute cutoff times where you can no longer check luggage. That’s usually 45-60 minutes before departure. Make sure you arrive before this time if you plan to check a bag, otherwise, you’ll be forced to find a different flight or leave your luggage behind.

How busy is the airport? On an average day, the security wait at San Francisco International Airport is about 16 minutes. That’s not bad for a busy airport, but if you’re traveling during peak times like winter holidays or summer, it can be longer. The same goes for weekend travel.

We recommend arriving at SFO at least one hour before your flight, but 1.5-2 hours gives you more leeway and a more relaxed travel day.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is about 15 miles from downtown San Francisco, depending on where in the city you’re departing from.

There are several options for traveling from San Francisco to SFO.

By taxi or ride share: Downtown San Francisco is less than 20 miles from the airport, and you can get there by car in about 30 minutes with light traffic. That said, San Francisco traffic can be bad, and we suggest allowing at least 45 minutes to be safe. Costs range from about $40-60, depending on demand.

By public transportation: The BART trains connect downtown San Francisco with SFO’s International Terminal in about 35 minutes. From there, you can take the SFO AirTrain to other terminals. The cost varies depending on exactly where you’re coming from but should be around $10.