San Francisco Airport

I've been flying in and out of SFO since 1953. The last year it was a relatively good experience was 1968. I know no other airport except Sheremeyevo in Moscow where it takes longer to get one's baggage -- to get from plane to sidewalk. On our recent return from Kona (Big Island Hawaii) we waited 55 minutes for our bags to appear on the carousel.

Arriving in the USA via SFO is vastly superior to arriving at the God-forsaken hell-hole known as LAX. SFO is more organized there are actually signs and the DHS officers are actually polite and pleasant. It is par for the course to have to clear immigration collect bags and then clear customs prior to heading to either a domestic or international connection. It has been this way for several years now and I am perplexed by commentators who are surprised by this - perhaps they don't travel to the USA very often. In any case SFO is delight compared to LAX. I would recommend anyone arriving in the USA via the West Coast do so at SFO or SEA and forget all about LAX - it's horrible.

I have flown out of SFO many times and most of the time the experiences were pleasant. The latest renovations have made great improvements. International terminal full of good places to eat although expensive. The only thing I don't like is that some of the gates are on the lower floors and are reached by elevators or escalators - it can be very confusing if you have never left from there and you could miss your flight. The airport is clean as are the restrooms. Security check is quick leaving and entering the US.

Arrived at the International Terminal from LHR and was through immigration and collected our bags within 30 minutes very impressive for a US airport we then walked to domestic T3. The airport was light and had a decent selection of eating facilities although was quite pricey.

The immigration officer who processed me was very friendly. Lines were not that long although I always try to make a point of getting off the plane quickly and make my way to immigrations swiftly. A line was building up behind me. Leaving SFO was also a painless experience. Pleasant surroundings but lacking somewhat in facilities.

If US airports were to be avoided this is an exception. Upon arrival clean and tidy surroundings make people feel comfortable after flying. Only disappointment were the long lines at immigrations and the unfriendly and discriminative faces of the officers as well as the low ceiling at baggage reclaim. Otherwise airy spaces and an overall good experience.

Flights are frequently delayed due to fog smoke ATC or other issues. Connecting between international and domestic terminals require passengers to exit the secure area and go back through the security checkpoint. Depending on arrival concourse re-checking bags going from international to domestic requires a long walk with bags and oftentimes another wait in line. 4) Security checkpoints are poorly staffed. In general not all metal detectors are being utilized resulting in long lines. On the good side: Immigration & customs process is very efficient and quick. Checked baggage retrieval time is reasonable ~15min. In the domestic terminal good selection of restaurants and shops. If possible avoid connecting through SFO.