Which airport and how early from SFO pier

Morning everyone,

I know someone can answer this question :)

Arriving back from Alaskan cruise on a tuesday and need to fly on to Spokane.

Which would be the best airport to fly out of (traffic - getting there) in SanFrancisco and what would you recommend the earliest flight could be? Princess states at least 5 hours for domestic but I know we've done it sooner

Any information would be greatly appreciated

ps we're looking at booking with Alaskan airlines if that impacts anything, only because they're the shortest flight

Thanks

Karen

SFO would still be the closest (you would end up driving right by SFO to get to SJC and you have to cross a bridge to get to OAK) all three airports have multiple flights to SEA (Alaska airlines would have the most as it is their hub, but I think you might be able to find a few from Southwest as well. As I would add an additional 1 hour travel time minimum for the other 2 airports- traffic can be horrible depending on time of day, San Francisco would still be my first choice unless there was a much better fare or time at one of the others. Good Luck!

I suspect SFO would be the only with non-stop to Spokane, but I could be wrong.

You might also look at Oakland International Airport (OAK). You can take a taxi to the Embarcadero BART station and ride the train to the airport. From the ship to the airport I would allow about an hour to 90 minutes. If you do the walk-off at 8:00 am, go through customs, etc., I wouldn't book a flight before 12:00 pm. You will probably arrive at the airport between 10:00 am and 11:00 am, but possibly earlier.

We disembarked the Grand last week and it only took us an hour and fifteen minutes from the time we left the ship to get to the Castro Valley station, which is farther than the Oakland Airport Station.

thanks for the quick replies,

Appreciate the info

Karen

SFO would be the closer airport.

I would not book a flight before 1:00 PM.

Keith

Yes, SFO is closer, but the traffic congestion, flight delays, TSA issues, etc. make it my last choice for flying anywhere out of the Bay Area.

Yes, SFO is closer, but the traffic congestion, flight delays, TSA issues, etc. make it my last choice for flying anywhere out of the Bay Area.

Amen to that, Party Barbie!!!

Cheers, Denise

A big thing to think about. With SuperBowl in the area many SF streets are already closed, especially in the downtown area. Local news folks are talking about the traffic congestion they are already seeing.

We disembarked the Grand last week and it only took us an hour and fifteen minutes from the time we left the ship to get to the Castro Valley station, which is farther than the Oakland Airport Station.

Curious - was this on your way to Auburn ? We are driving from Lincoln and will park near the pier. We have several options to park at friends in Bay Area and get a lift to the port. However getting home on Wed looks messy - so driving to and from pier looks best option.

Not sure where your friends live in the Bay Area but if they are near a BART station I would seriously consider taking BART in to the City. That's what we do when we sail out of San Francisco and it eliminates any problems you might encounter with traffic. It is a pleasant walk along the bay from BART to Pier 27 (and vice versa) even with luggage as the pavement is smooth and flat.

A big thing to think about. With SuperBowl in the area many SF streets are already closed, especially in the downtown area. Local news folks are talking about the traffic congestion they are already seeing.

Next week, Feb 1st to 8th is Super Bowl Week.

Unfortunately the Super Bowl City venue is between the pier and the freeway on-ramps. Auto traffic delays are now reporting to be about an hour+ just to get around the area due to the construction of the Super Bowl City. Walking access to the Embarcadero BART station will be limited as its right under Super Bowl City.

Add the expected crowds and the rain next week I think 5 hours from debarkation is a good estimate.

Which is closer SFO vs OAK isn't really that relevant. The difference in travel time to one vs the other is probably 10 minutes max and it could be no minutes different depending on traffic.

Chose the airport (SFO or OAK, don't consider SJC) with the best schedule/flight for you.

A big thing to think about. With SuperBowl in the area many SF streets are already closed, especially in the downtown area. Local news folks are talking about the traffic congestion they are already seeing.

Next week, Feb 1st to 8th is Super Bowl Week.

 

Unfortunately the Super Bowl City venue is between the pier and the freeway on-ramps. Auto traffic delays are now reporting to be about an hour+ just to get around the area due to the construction of the Super Bowl City. Walking access to the Embarcadero BART station will be limited as its right under Super Bowl City.

 

Add the expected crowds and the rain next week I think 5 hours from debarkation is a good estimate.

The OP isn't coming in the next two weeks. The OP is on an Alaska cruise- no Alaska cruises in the next two weeks. So the Super Bowl is no issue for the OP.

The OP isn't coming in the next two weeks. The OP is on an Alaska cruise- no Alaska cruises in the next two weeks. So the Super Bowl is no issue for the OP.

Always makes me laugh at far off on a tangent some of these threads can go. An AK cruise in the next week would be a bit chilly I would think. ;)

So, what would be locals opinions about using Oakland vs SFO in mid-late April for flying in/out for Princess cruise ---flying in on a Friday & out on Sunday (from Nashville on SW, AA or Delta)

If you can lug your bags, the two airports are about equal if you can use BART (public transit subway). If you can't lug bags and use BART, I would fly into SFO.

So, what would be locals opinions about using Oakland vs SFO in mid-late April for flying in/out for Princess cruise ---flying in on a Friday & out on Sunday (from Nashville on SW, AA or Delta)

It is almost always preferable to fly in and out of Oakland. Its a smaller airport than SFO, easier to get to and you rarely have weather delays. You can still fly into Oakland when the flights to SFO at the same time are delayed due to weather.

Thanks DUTravel -- Are you saying a taxi/shuttle/limo is NOT recommended from Oakland airport into downtown SF? Don't think we want to lug our suitcases on BART, but we will see. We didn't hesitate to do that in Europe, most recently 2 years ago...

Thanks DUTravel -- Are you saying a taxi/shuttle/limo is NOT recommended from Oakland airport into downtown SF? Don't think we want to lug our suitcases on BART, but we will see. We didn't hesitate to do that in Europe, most recently 2 years ago...

A taxi would probably not be a great idea, as we don't have flat fees out here - you are charged by the mile as well as by the hour. And depending on the time and day (as well as who knows what idiots were doing on the freeways that day) it can easily take 1.5 hours to drive the ~20 miles into SF. I've never taken a shuttle, so that might be more econimical, and Uber has surge pricing so see above for taxis. I've never booked a limo in advance, but have taken them from airports and town cars (not quite legal) while in SF and I know they are much more competitive with pricing, when they are sitting there empty, than their counter parts. But considering all that, I'd still choose OAK over SFO mainly because of all the fog delays. Alternatively, if you fly into Mineta San Jose, you could take the free airport flyer bus (the #10 runs just like an airport shuttle every 15 mins or so) to the Cal Train station and enjoy a nice little train ride into SF and just catch a cab/Uber from there.

Thanks DUTravel -- Are you saying a taxi/shuttle/limo is NOT recommended from Oakland airport into downtown SF? Don't think we want to lug our suitcases on BART, but we will see. We didn't hesitate to do that in Europe, most recently 2 years ago...

It must have been someone else that said a Taxi was not recommended. BART would be the cheapest. A taxi could be expensive as there are no flat rates. Your best bet would be Uber or a car service.

I suspect SFO would be the only with non-stop to Spokane, but I could be wrong.

Southwest has nonstops to Spokane from Oakland. Oakland is a better airport when it comes to flights being on or nearly on time.

In mid-April, is fog really going to be an issue in early afternoon, like around 1 PM or 2 PM????

In mid-April, is fog really going to be an issue in early afternoon, like around 1 PM or 2 PM????

No.

In mid-April, is fog really going to be an issue in early afternoon, like around 1 PM or 2 PM????

Not in the afternoon.

Keith