San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Tel: (650) 821 8211.
Website: www.flysfo.com  

San Francisco International Airport is situated 20km (13 miles) south of the city, off Routes 101 and 280.

Airport facilities: These include banks, ATMs, bureaux de change and numerous bars and restaurants, gift and speciality shopping, including duty-free outlets. Six public information booths are on site. An AirTrain takes passengers to nine airport stations and to car hire operators, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Enterprise, National and Thrifty. San Francisco International houses the world's first, fully accredited art museum in an airport, and in the international terminal boasts an aviation library and the Louis A Turpin Aviation Museum. A business centre, located in the Airport Travel Agency (tel: (650) 877 0422), provides fax services, airline tickets, luggage storage, shipping boxes and hotel reservations. A number of airline lounges are available for frequent flyer cardholders. Self-serve conference and business facilities are available at PowerPoint, in the G-side of the International terminal.

Transport to the city: Shuttles, buses, taxis and limousines are all readily available. American Airporter Shuttle (tel: (415) 202 0733) provides a 24-hour, door-to-door service. Other 24-hour services are Lorrie's Shuttles (tel: (415) 334 9000; website www.sfovan.com) and Super Shuttle (tel: 1 800 258 3826; website: www.supershuttle.com). Taxis are metered and the fare to the downtown and Fisherman's Wharf area ranges from US$35-45. San Mateo County Transit aka SamTrans (tel: 1 800 660 4287; website: www.samtrans.com) runs bus services to the Transbay Terminal at Mission Street. Journey times vary between 25 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on traffic. Public transportation leaves from the blue zone on the airport's lower level. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) (tel: (415) 989 2278; website: www.bart.gov) now operates public transport from the airport on the International Departure/Ticketing level to downtown and other areas. The cost is based on the distance travelled. Trains run from early morning until evening, with the last train at 2346 nightly. Visit www.511.org to create a custom itinerary on San Francisco Bay Area's public transportation.


Oakland International Airport (OAK)
Tel: (510) 563 3300.
Website: www.flyoakland.com  

Oakland International Airport is located across the Bay, 32km (20 miles) from downtown San Francisco. Oakland receives mainly domestic flights (although some international flights arrive here), and may be a less expensive gateway to the Bay Area.

Airport facilities: Facilities include banks, ATMs, Internet access, travel insurance, duty-free, currency exchange and food outlets. Car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Transport to the city: About three dozen shuttle services operate door-to-door from Oakland Airport to surrounding areas. AC Transit (tel: (510) 817 1717; website: www.flyoakland.com/ac_transit.shtml) operates the TransBay Express, providing a 24-hour service between Oakland International and the TransBay Terminal at Mission Street and First Street in San Francisco. Buses depart at the front of both terminals. AC Transit's bus 50 connects the airport to the Alameda/Oakland Ferry (tel: (510) 522 3300), which runs services to San Francisco's ferry terminal and Pier 41, at Fisherman's Wharf. Numerous shuttles include Bayporter Express (tel: (415) 467 1800 or 1 877 467 1800; website: www.bayporter.com). Journey times vary between 30 minutes and 60 minutes, depending on traffic. An AirBART shuttle provides services between Oakland International and the Bay Area Rapid Transit - BART (tel: (510) 465 2278; website: www.bart.gov) train station, for trips into San Francisco. The Airport Express also goes to Sonoma and Marin Counties (tel: 1 800 327 2024; www.airportexpressinc.com). Last pickup is midnight.

Approximate flight times to San Francisco: From London is 11 hours; from New York is 5 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 1 hour 20 minutes; from Toronto is 5 hours 20 minutes and from Sydney is 14 hours 30 minutes.