Here’s a pretty exciting milestone for San Francisco International Airport (SFO), which should make some connections (and lounge hopping!) at the airport easier.
Continue reading: All SFO Terminals Now Connected Airside Via Walkways
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Great news. If only JFK could figure out a way to make airside connections possible. The AA-B6 shuttle was useful when the NEA was in effect.
Is it now possible to move between INTL G Gates and A Gates? It'll be really useful for those with PP flying Star Alliance airlines departing from G Gates. All the PP lounges there are in A Gates.
They were always connected. It just was before there was interior construction that meant that some passengers might have to walk nearly a full circle because of a gap in T1.
i was in the Polaris lounge when I checked that my tap flight was going from A and I had to got through security again. very bad layout. hope that is solved now
You would probably have to walk through BCDEF to get between A and G? Might be faster to reclear security at that point lol
Yes, and it will nearly always be quicker to reclear security IF you have pre-check.
As others have noted, if you have PreCheck, It’s likely faster to cut across the Intl terminal and go through security again.
Finally-a;; Terms are connected !!It has taken 20 years... Lax has joined the connection club too.. Not sure if JFK will ever join the connected club!!
FYI - United is using terminal 2 for several domestic flights now too. It is a good 15 minute walk between International G and terminal 2
No, they were not always connected. It has been a very gradual process over the past 20 years. One by one...
Technically yes, but it'll be a schlep, as others have pointed out. If you're starting in G, you can either take a long walk clockwise all the way around to A. Or you can take a short walk counter-clockwise, where you'll have to re-clear security.
Nice! And great improvement.
Though coming back through the international terminal it feels like some 3rd world country (not to disparage them). Leaving sometimes is worse. The rest rooms are rather disgusting: routinely out of soap, paper towels. Not cleaned. This is SF?
Looking forward to T1.
I fly mainlt the AA transcon out of SFO, so airside access to Centurion is welcome even if it is a walk, though T1 will also soon have a PP lounge.
To be honest, I haven't been able to use PP lounges in the last few times I was there. The lounges always seem overflowing.
As an SFO longe-hopper and lover of getting my steps, I'm really excited about this.
But to visitors: if you have pre-check, unless you're going to the terminal next door, I'd venture that the fastest route will almost always be landslide, even accounting for security (either air train, or across the international terminal between A and G.)
That is excellent news. Eva business customers have been using the BA one world lounge for at least a year, will be nice to have the Polaris lounge instead.
Thank you for the update! Exciting!
I wondered why Alaska moved to 1, now it makes sense - United has a need for more gate capacity.
All large airports should be connected airside. Especially if you want to be a true international hub. People connecting off or onto a domestic flight from international should not need to reclear TSA.
I'm looking at the hot mess that is JFK, which greatly holds it back.
The use of third world term is completely out of date. It's now developing versus developed countries. What you consider third world is actually the US now.
Long term, SFO wants to add a post-security connection inside the International Terminal between the A and G gates (where the food court currently exists). See https://www.flysfo.com/sites/default/files/default/about/Appendix_F_ITB_Departures.pdf. But I think that's a long way off.
Lovely. So, you no longer have to scrape off your shoes after venturing out on the Bay Area sidewalks?
A and G are connected airside... via the long way around. If you have Pre-Check, you're better off just exiting G, walking across to A landside, and clearing security again. Security at SFO tends to be quick.
Alaska also wanted to facilitate more connections to American (at T1) and oneworld international partners, which are all in A.
Nope, other way around: Now that Alaska has moved out of T2, their former gates are available for United to use temporarily. The next construction project at SFO will take T3 gates F1-F4 offline for several years, so United needed replacement space. The T3 project couldn’t start until T1 was finished, freeing up gates in T2.
It should also be noted that the new The club lounge at SFO opens in T1 tomorrow June 26. Hopefully should help improve situation
About time. Great development. As far as lounge hopping, it's unlikely to happen (At least with most priority pass lounges). They are always crowded and often times have been too full to allow members in. Still, this is a good development and great to see progress at the airport overall.
So just to clarify:
This is still not useful for an international connection from say FRA to LAX via SFO, because I would still have to clear immigration first, and afterwards I am no longer airside, correct?
Still true for all international arrivals to the US (except pre-clear airports like Y?? DUB SNN, etc.).
Not quite sure. After customs and before the exist glass door, I think there is a passage way to other terminal. Haven't checked it out though.
OK - the peninsula is not exactly the tenderloin!
SFO is an above average airport and much nice for international arrivals than LAX for example, IMHO
All US airports are considered ports of entry. Unless you have pre cleared customs in one of a few international locations, you'll have to clear and go back through security at every US airport.
This week I was on a United flight leaving from F19 in terminal 3 (SEA) and tried to go standby on a direct flight to VVR — it was at A15, which is the furthest A gate and the further possible walk! It took about 25 minutes to walk airside. So not all United international flights use the G gates. (The direct flight was full so I had to rush all the way back and just made my flight). Wish there was an airside train like at SEA.
Actually now we mostly say "Global South"--under developed or developing--versus "Global North"--developed.
So of I am flying on KLM in the International Terminal, I can go to the club in Terminal 1 and not have to go through security again to get back to international which is just a few steps away.
That seems pretty lame. Why on earth didn't they just connect A and G directly during the recent "fix"? Why does it seem most US airports were designed without any consideration for passenger comfort or ease?