San Francisco Airport

Such an irritating airport to get around. Terrible signage. Confusing unintelligible announcements. Our flight was allegedly leaving from terminal 1. After lugging all our stuff there we were told to go to terminal 3 to drop our bags. Then after that walk to the international terminal to get the flight. At security no plastic bags being given out. No obvious signs to say what fluids are permitted. Nothing to say I had to put a laptop in its own tray and everything else in another. Just a rude guard telling me like I should know already. Gave me no help just watched me as I held up the queue and flapped around. At the gate no toilets. No retail. Walked miles to find food when we did was 11 dollars for a pathetic sandwich. San Francisco is an excellent city full of great people and great design. How did they get it so wrong at SFO?

Good airport but not so spacious everywhere is quite cramped. They've improved the baggage recovery area a bit but the immigration counters continue to be a chaos. There's the serpentine long queues and so many counters are vacant but very few staff. Even at 12:30 in the afternoon when 3 international flights arrived together they only had 4 Immigration counters open for the visitors so it took almost an hour to get across. However the immigration (DHS) officers are quite polite and courteous. The customs officers were friendly too this time!

TSA for the international flights lived up to their reputation. Seemed like a dysfunctional family. They were rude and unorganized. Someone needs to tell them passengers do not like going through them just like they showed they don't like dealing with passengers. Nobody forced them to choose their job. If a customer service company had employees like TSA at SFO they'd go out of business. To all TSA employees: Passengers will always be a pain. They will whine complain and get unruly at times. Don't lower yourself to those standards. Don't take out your frustrations on the passengers. You are serving your country. Be professional. Be courteous. Be understanding.

Connected from US Airways to United so although our bags were transferred directly we had to exit one terminal take the airport train to another terminal go through security there and then walk a fair distance to our gate. Other than that no problems. Airport appeared to be in good condition. Decent array of stores and restaurants/bars. It was raining but we experienced no delays.

SFO is a nice recently renovated airport. The food options are good (specifically for domestic flights not in the international terminal which doesn't have so many choices). Also in general the flights are on time. My only complaint is with security. I am not comfortable using the new airport body scanners but if you decide to use the metal detectors you are subjected to a pat down. Also as I was passing through security I heard many complaints about the pat downs (specifically people felt like they were being harassed by airport security personnel).

This is my home airport. I will admit I hate to pass through immigration control here and not because of the immigration officials who can be severe at times. It's the customs part of it all where if one declares food even if it's one tiny pack of biscuits it begins a whole chain of distrust. It has happen loads of times where I was only bringing in some pastries and biscuits both in hand and checked luggage where we got treated badly. The agents always feel when one admits to bringing in food-any sort of food-it'll be something illegal thus the chances of having one's luggage searched before exiting is quite certain. That is perhaps the only issue I've got with SFO. Thus I will advise anyone to declare that you're bringing in food of any sort. If it's edible it's considered to be food. Otherwise as stated earlier the SFO immigration officers can be gruff though some are fair. As a US citizen I think I've been quite fortunate as from what I've read from foreign visitors' experiences they have been given the third degree or more. However I think that's typical as visitors to the UK (and other countries). For instance I've been treated quite rudely unfairly and unprofessionally as well by their entry clearance officers. It must be a sign of the travel times. SFO itself I do not care for as for a major international airport it is quite small and lack good dining choices. It can be quite confusing as well if one is driving into and out of it with its confusing signage at times.

The immigration officials were extremely aggressive and intimidating to the point I honestly felt I was being harassed. I agree with the below UK reviewer that it does give a very poor impression to an otherwise amazing city. I'd previously come into Chicago and there also was processed very sternly that was my first trip to the US and I was then unprepared for all the personal questions about how much money I had what I did for a living etc. But this was something else the official asked me 3 times if I was in the country on business in a sarcastic unpleasant manner as if he were trying to catch me out. Each time I politely told him I was on holiday. It was genuinely distressing. I'd just come off an 11 hour flight and had waited an hour in line. I was then subjected to a bag search of both my hold and hand luggage by 2 different officials. Again this was done in a confrontational aggressive manner. A horrible ordeal prepare yourself.

SFO terminals 2 and 3 are fine. Terminal 1 is an insane nightmare. The security staff are rude obnoxious and inefficient. They refuse to open up the metal scanners when the naked body scanners are backed up for over an hour. Customers naturally grow impatient as even an hour early to your flight is no guarantee that you will make it.

A very pleasant surprise! The new international terminal is functional clean and efficient. It's actually a pleasure to use this particular US airport. Check in was smooth. The place was not crowded. Security - yes the TSA - was pleasant efficient without any pressure of being rushed and the area beyond security provided adequate shops and facilities to entertain anyone waiting for his flight.

Staff in immigration are extremely rude and aggressive - treat people like cattle. One example - As we were going through they opened up the US Citizen lines to non-residents. An elderly lady got a bit confused and simply asked if she should go in this line - he barked at her "I don't know how else to explain this lady - go in the shortest line". I travel extensively through Europe and Asia and I have never come across behaviour like this before - long queues yes- but rudeness to senior citizens no. Real shame as it gives a poor first impression to an otherwise wonderful city.