San Francisco INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KSFO)
AIRPORT TRAVEL GUIDE

Overview

San Francisco International Airport (KSFO) is the largest of three commercial airports that serve the San Francisco Bay Area. Located south of San Francisco near San Bruno, SFO is a major hub for United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, offering flights to many destinations.  Additionally, SFO is the primary international airport for the Bay Area, with flights to Canada, Latin America, Asia, Europe, Middle East Australia, and South Pacific.

In 2019, SFO was ranked as the 7th busiest airport in the United States, serving roughly 57.5 million passengers.

Airlines

Roughly four dozen airlines have service to San Francisco International Airport, including most carriers based in the US and Canada, and a whole host of international carriers.

SFO is served by all three major airline alliances (Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and oneworld), with multiple airlines from each alliance. The abundance of carriers that serve SFO brings the opportunity to travel virtually anywhere in the world from San Francisco.

Destinations

SFO’s status as a major domestic and international hub means it serves tens of dozens of destinations across the United States and world.  San Francisco International Airport is connected via nonstop flight to virtually every major city along the Pacific Rim, Europe, and the Middle East.  In North America, SFO is also connected to almost every major and medium sized city in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and many smaller destinations on the West Coast.

Check with your airline for exact destinations.

Rental Cars

San Francisco International Airport has both on-site and off-site rental car agencies. A consolidated rental car (CONRAC) facility located about 1 mile from the terminal facilities and is home to 9 major car rental agencies such as Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt, and Thrifty. Passengers can access the Rental Car Center by riding the airport’s Air Train automated people mover (APM) system. The APM stops are located on the landside of the terminals on an elevated track, so after arriving and exiting the airside terminals, passengers should look for signage and escalators leading up to the Air Train.

Off-site agencies, such as Fox, Payless, and other smaller chains, can be accessed with shuttles on-demand from the Rental Car Center, so passengers all passengers, regardless of their car rental agency, should take the APM from the terminal to the Rental Car Center to start their airport exit journey.

Last Updated: January 2021