San Diego International Airport is located in the northwest of Downtown San Diego, California, United States. The airport covers around 663 acres area operated under the Regional Airport Authority of San Diego.
This airport can hold 20 million passengers. It serves around more than 500 scheduled operations and 50,000 passengers each day.
San Diego Airport Has Mainly Two Terminals:
Terminal 1 has total 19 gates i.e 1A and 1–18
On the other hand Terminal 2 has two parts: East and West with 32 gates from 20–51.
Airport Facilities:
- Free Wi-Fi: WiFi access at the airport is free but limited to 2-hour session.
- Information Desk: At the airport, you will find the knowledgeable Volunteer Airport Ambassadors roaming all around in green polo shirts of “AIRPORT INFORMATION” print.
- Luggage Storage: there is no option for storing the luggage so be prepared for that situation and don’t expect much.
- ATM: There are ATMs available operated by Bank of America located at the following destinations:
- Terminal 1: Lobby opposite food court (landside) and Gates 1, 2, 5 and 13 (airside)
- Terminal 2: Gates 20-32 (1st level, Gate 23) and Gates 33-51 area (baggage claim near carousel 4, near Gate 36, Sunset Cove, underneath the escalator)
- Currency Exchange: Currency exchange by Travelex is available at the airport. You can find it at:
- Terminal 2 near baggage claim area
- Airside near gate 22
- Meditation Room: To sit at a calm place and have some meditation there is a meditation room at Terminal 2 airside area.
- Baby Care Room: There is a lactation room with comfortable seats at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 in different locations:
Terminal 1:
- West Rotunda (Alaska, Frontier), 2nd level, across from the elevator
- East Rotunda (Southwest Airlines Gates 3-10), ground level
Terminal 2:
- West, 2nd level, near Gates 34-35
- Duty-Free Shopping: Around gate 20-21 in terminal 2 Duty-free America is situated where one can buy what they want. The shops include every kind of item that a passenger needs.
- Food & Beverages: you can find the 24 hours options of eating at Ryan Bro’s Coffee at Terminal 1, landside, ticketing area and Einstein Bros. Bagels at Terminal 2, landside. Otherwise, the vending machines are available throughout the airport.
- Shoe Shine Service: For this additional service you need to reach the East at the top of the rotunda escalator at Terminal 1. If you are at Terminal 12 then there are three spots at East, near Gate 23, West, near Gate 36, West, near Gate 48.
- Extra Facilities: Shower facility is available at Airspace Lounge. On the other hand spa, salon and massage are offered by Be Relax Spa in Terminal 2 near gate 23 and 36.
Airport Lounge:
| Lounge Name | Location | Access Method |
| Airspace Lounge | Terminal 2 Airside,
Terminal 2 near Gates 22 and 23 |
Pay at the door |
| United Club | Terminal 1, Airside, Mezzanine Level | Pay at the Door
Lounge membership programs |
| Delta Sky Club | Terminal 2, Airside
Near Gate 37 |
Elite Status
Lounge membership programs |
Airport Hotel:
| Hotel Name | Location | Other Information |
| Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina | 4 minute drive from the airport | Pay at the door |
| Holiday Inn Express San Diego Airport – Old Town | 5 minutes from the airport | Pay at the Door
Lounge membership programs |
| La Quinta Inn & Suites San Diego Old Town / Airport | 5 minutes from the airport | Elite Status
Lounge membership programs |
Transport Facility To And Fro Airport:
- Bus Facility: Bus route 992 is the main that links the airport and San Diego. At both the terminals from 5:00 am to 11:30 pm after every 15 minutes you will get the bus.
- Rental Cars: You can also hire a rental car that serves this airport. Various companies from which you can hire are A1 Rent A Car, Ace Rent A Car, Airport Van Rental, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Economy Rent A Car and many more.
- Free Shuttle Service: Various hotels near airport provide free shuttle service to the passengers.
- Inter-terminal Facility: For transfer from one terminal to another there is the free shuttle service 24/7 available to the passengers.
- Taxi: Taxis are also available at the airport for the passengers to book 24/7.
Customer Reviews:
Assis Pontes (South Africa) 18th November 2015
We must have parked at the far end, though the airport is huge. Seats offer recharge facilities for mobile and laptop near boarding gates. Toilets are plenty and never too far. A good variety of shops.
Anatoli Naoumov (Canada) 24th June 2015
Went through security in under 10 minutes. Many outlets to charge my phone. Variety of food to take on board. Clean, well ventilated. Plenty of seats.
Mark Kemper (United States) 5th January 2015
This airport has really stepped up its game in recent times with the upgrade. I have traveled through more than 300 airports and this one ranks as one of the more aesthetically appealing I have seen at least in the US. I recall on my first visits in the 90s and early 2000s when the terminal felt very cramped. The airport is what I would call medium-sized and therefore is quite manageable. Upon our arrival it was late and the airport was not crowded. We were nonetheless struck by the improvements in appearance. The walk to the baggage claim was not bad at all. We did have to wait a rather long time for our luggage and that was probably the biggest negative we experienced. Otherwise everything was smooth. We found our way out to the taxi area without too much difficulty though the directions were not as well marked from our end of the terminal. There were plenty of taxis waiting and we had no problem getting one right away.
With our departure the check-in area functioned smoothly and the security lines were fairly well managed making the wait times pretty reasonable. The facilities in the airport were quite nice. I waited with my daughter for her flight back home and there was plenty of space to sit and relax for the short time before the flight was called. In the Delta Sky Lounge the facilities there were superb. The atmosphere was relaxing and presented a great place to wait for boarding. I did not take advantage of the shops and eating options in the airport while they seemed to be a bit limited. Overall I was quite impressed with this airport. The size makes it very usable. Getting to the airport and getting away are processes that are manageable.
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