San Francisco Airport

Customer Reviews

No Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 167 reviews
4/10
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9/10

“well organized and easy to navigate”

(United States)

Trip Verified | This airport is well organized and easy to navigate; it's become one of my favorite airports in the world. On this trip (JFK>SFO>TPE), I flew into and also left from Terminal One, recently renovated, attractive and spacious. It also contains quite a few spaces for relaxation, plus many restaurants and shops. On arrival, my bag arrived before I did. On departure, I checked in at the Interational Terminal, which is connected to Terminal One. Going through security at International was fast and easy. The only negative was that several of the restaurants in Terminal One were closed in the evening.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
9/10

"share my exceptional experience"

(Canada)

Trip Verified | I am delighted to share my exceptional experience with Officer Lucas at San Francisco International Airport. His assistance in locating my lost phone and guiding me to the correct boarding gate was invaluable. Not only did he ensure I found my belongings, but he also took the time to ensure my well-being before departing. I am sincerely grateful for his kindness and assistance.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
1/10

"there was lack of workers"

(Kazakhstan)

Trip Verified | Horrible. I was late for my transit because the line was huge. I had 2 hours for transit and I was in the middle of the line. Even though I was able to shortcut it and asked people to let me go, when an hour was left before the flight, I couldn’t check in for my flight due to the another line. In both check out and check in areas there was lack of workers! So after I missed my flight, I got new ticket for the next day at 8:45am flight number UA5872. I had to spend more than 10 hours in San Francisco and my airline didn’t provide any accommodation or compensation. I paid from my pocket! This is why I give 3 stars to airport staff and queuing time. Some staff workers were trying to help me, but there was lack of them so they couldn’t do much.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitAugust 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"1h30m and nothing is moving"

(United States)

Trip Verified | We got here with more than 2 hours delay due to weather conditions, landing at 9:30PM. SFO did not plan any crew to take care of the suitcases and we ended up laying down on the floor next to a stopped carousel at the baggage claim. There is no seat here. No vending machine. We heard unclear messages but it's already 1 hour and 30 minutes and nothing is moving. Not serious at all
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitAugust 2023
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"the rudest airport I have encountered"

(Germany)

Not Verified | I am quite disappointed about how I was treated by the "people with power" here at SFO, namely immigration officers and employees at security. Perhaps these people have an inflated sense of their own importance, shouting out orders, asking questions in a suspicious tone, and not seeing the need for the most basic politenesses (no "please", no "hi", no "thank you", no smiles). Perhaps it would be good for their employers to remind these people that they are dealing with TRAVELERS, not PRISON INMATES. While I have noticed rudeness at other airports, San Francisco is now the winner - as the rudest airport I have encountered.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitJuly 2023
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
5/10

"functional and clean enough"

(United States)

Trip Verified | The airport itself is functional and clean enough for an American airport. The transit is a drag, especially if you're going south, but you can survive. There are some nice (even if overpriced) restaurants as well. One unexpected experience was with the Global Entry program. I had applied to it earlier in 2022 so that I could get enrollment on arrival interview. Instead, the agent told us that they were not offering any interviews at this time and that we should schedule an appointment elsewhere (they seemed to be telling the same thing to everyone else). This seems to contradict what they say on their official website (which lists SFO and no other enrollment centers in the vicinity). I understand there is a surge in applications, but it felt disingenuous for a government agency to be refusing service it is promising to deliver on their official website.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
6/10

"Two contrasting experiences"

(New Zealand)

Not Verified | Two contrasting experiences within two weeks. I was a transit passenger (AKL-SFO-LHR then back again), and knowing that transit doesn't exist at most US airports in the sense that they do at most non-US international hubs, I didn't check in bags but loaded up the hand luggage instead. Thus, I didn't experience the inanity of having to get my luggage and put it back on a conveyor belt landside. On my first trip, it took 65 minutes from disembarkation to clear immigration at 6:45am in the International Terminal, G-Wing. Long queues and few immigration staff on duty. Going back through security into the same wing, the staff were poor. They were shouting at various people who had English as a second language - because that generally works - and giving instructions that contradicted the screens above their heads. (Sample screen message: 'Have your boarding pass and passport ready to show the officer.' Officer: "Don't show me your ticket!" Nice one, champ.) I made the mistake of having my passport in my back pocket when I was about to go through the scanner. I realised at the last second, so went to put it in the tray and got full barrels from one chap who clearly hates his job. I acknowledged my error, told him it was an oversight, that I'd just been on a 12-hour flight, and that different airports have different rules. He then started berating an elderly Indian man for putting his shoes in the tray at the wrong angle. Mate, if you do don't have patience for people, get a job where you don't have to deal with them. On the way back, totally different: eight minutes from disembarkation to clearing immigration, lots of desks open at noon, friendly and helpful staff. Within the G-wing, there's an outdoor area with not much of a view, but which affords a good burst of fresh air, which is nice when you're on a plane or in an airport for 30-odd hours. I had a 10-hour layover on the way back and liked the big chairs. Got some good sleep in them. Shops were fine: typically overpriced but it's an airport so you'd expect no less. Landside, before security, there's some pretty cool yesteryear display cabinets, showing menus and service on flights in the 70s and 80s, and some pretty interesting art / design displays too. Signage seemed straightforward enough to me. Showers / nap rooms were extortionate. You need a mortgage. In the past, I've done all I can to avoid transiting through the US. Hong Kong, Tokyo, or Singapore are much more straightforward and amenable, but when I booked the flights, HKG and Tokyo were still closed, and Singapore Airlines were a bit expensive. Nothing about SFO would make me favour it over those other three, but I'd recommend it over LAX as an international transit airport.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitDecember 2022
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
2/10

"improve your signage in the terminal"

(United States)

Not Verified | My 83 year old mother and I flew into SF Airport from a vacation in Puerto Vallarta, on our way home to Seattle. As it was our first port of entry we had to go through customs. Other than the rude and curt attendants organizing the lines, the customs process went pretty smoothly. Then the chaos ensued. We picked up our luggage and from there we had a very challenging time trying to figure out where to go next. There was virtually no signage about where to go or what to do. There was a baggage recheck station, staffed by a nice enough young man who had no clue where we should go or what we should do (and told us the exact opposite train to take to get to the Alaska terminal). Every person we asked gave us a different answer. We finally managed to get to the terminal that houses Alaska Airlines. We were told by one "helpful" airport personnel that we were already too late for our flight. We decided to try anyway. The Alaska assistance person said we had two minutes to get through TSA and board our flight to Seattle. We again decided to go for it. Luckily, I saw a fellow passenger from our first flight also in the TSA line; she said she was also on the Seattle flight and we still had a half hour. Good thing! Both my mother and I had to have every single carry on item go through the scanner twice, including removing her C-Pap, my bluetooth speaker, and my iPad. All had to go through x-ray again, separately. I was patted down. We were the very last people to get on our plane. Luckily, our luggage made it onto the plane, but my mom's suitcase never made it to the carousel in Seattle. If I could give some advice to SFO, please improve your signage in the terminal and on your shuttle train. (The train in Seattle was so clear about next stops, whereas the reader board in SFO gave zero information other than "arriving.") Some remedial training on airport personnel might be helpful, as well.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2022
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Staff 12345
no
10/10

"went above and beyond for me"

(United States)

Trip Verified | I arrived very tired after a long flight from Ireland. It was difficult for me to use the escalators as I had a very large suitcase and a smaller one plus my duty free, A super nice guy there from the Security helped me navigate the escalators. He actually took my big suitcase from me and showed me where to go to get my connecting flight. He was coming off his break. This was on Saturday 22 October around 4-5 pm. He went above and beyond for me and I just wanted to give him a shout out. Travelling is so difficult these days that to get some assistance like this means a lot.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitOctober 2022
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
7/10

"E gate concourse in Terminal 3 is gorgeous"

(United States)

Trip Verified | This review is limited to arrival/departure experience from Terminal 3. The lighting exiting the Terminal and around check in areas is not very bright. Signage and Directions to the Air Tram to Rental Car garage were not very clear. The Air Tram service is very good. On departure from SFO the terminal was very crowded for the peak afternoon travel period. Thanks to TSA-Pre, getting through security was a breeze. The E gate concourse in Terminal 3 is gorgeous. The concourse is wide and brightly lit. The large windows bring in additional light. There is a smattering of eateries and shops. The bathrooms are very clean. Seating is plentiful at the gates with many having power ports. SFO provides free Wi-Fi for all passengers. The Wi-Fi connected easily and is fast.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitOctober 2022
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes