Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > United States
Reload this Page >

Morning flight out of SFO-stay night before near airport?

Morning flight out of SFO-stay night before near airport?

Old Aug 25th, 2009, 07:39 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Morning flight out of SFO-stay night before near airport?

Hi everyone,

For our brief trip to San Francisco, we have a 9 a.m. departing flight out of SFO on a weekday to head back home. We would prefer to stay the night before at our hotel downtown to avoid switching hotels too many times (it's a short trip). But wondering how bad rush hour traffic is in the morning, leaving the city to get to the airport on the 101. Shouldn't rush hour traffic be mostly bad going the other way, into the city? Or is it bad in both directions? How long would it take at that time? Or do people think we'd be smarter staying at a hotel near the airport the night before to make sure we don't miss our flight?

Advice appreciated.

Thanks.
baileysbaba is offline  
Old Aug 25th, 2009, 07:46 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 51,045
Received 37 Likes on 31 Posts
If you leave the city by 6:30 or 7:00am, you should be fine.
LucieV is offline  
Old Aug 25th, 2009, 07:54 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 26,243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Agree with Lucie. Although traffic is horrible, and may even be worse southbound than northbound in the morning (I drive past the airport northbound every single morning), it stiill won't take more than 40 minutes. You need to leave time to retun your car, which is an exit north of the airport (then you take the airtrain to the terminal). So an hour in advance of the time you want to arrive at the airport is fine.
sf7307 is offline  
Old Aug 25th, 2009, 09:16 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,628
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
If you don't have a car (hopefully) I'd catch a cab (or depending on where you are staying - take BART) by about 6:30.

But if you have a rental car to return, leave plenty of time for that. I'd want at least an extra 45 minutes just in case of a car snafu.

In either case, you'd be leaving downtown before the worst of the commute traffic.

I don't see any benefit to changing hotels.
janisj is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2009, 07:47 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,392
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would return the car at a downtown locatioin the day before, and take a Taxi to the airport. A Taxi will know the best route out of downtown to 101 or 280, and this will also avoid the rental car return time at the airport.

Stu Dudley
StuDudley is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2009, 07:49 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,392
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
sf7307

Does that usual backup before the Broadway Ave exit exist in the morning commute too???

Stu Dudley
StuDudley is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2009, 07:58 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 26,243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It does -- I swear its worse going southbound than northbound! (have you noticed that over the last few days the southbound afternoon rush hour has been much improved around the Broadway exit? We were wondering if its just that so many people are away late August, or if whatever they did the last few nights that the freeway was closed in the middle of the night actually opened up a bottleneck).
sf7307 is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2009, 11:28 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,149
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
what Stu said.
PamSF is offline  
Old Aug 27th, 2009, 02:01 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 51,045
Received 37 Likes on 31 Posts
Even if the usual backup bf Broadway Ave exists that early in the morning, when you're heading south (as the OP is), it's after the exit for the airport, so it doesn't really matter.

Personally, I would not bother with the taxi. But I am not a big worrier about this kind of stuff, and we've never had a problem returning a rental car on time in a city. Maybe we're just lucky, though!
LucieV is offline  
Old Aug 27th, 2009, 02:11 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 26,243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The backup starts way before the airport.
sf7307 is offline  
Old Aug 27th, 2009, 03:32 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
LucieV, I learned the hard way to allow extra time if returning a rental car at SFO, as it can be busy and the rental return area is virtually at the end of the line on the airport tram.
Agree about returning the car in the city if not needed for your last night in town and taking a taxi - or BART if not much luggage, though add time for the connection at SFO to the airport tram.
Seamus is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
karrma
South America
4
Feb 5th, 2016 11:25 AM
jgg
United States
5
Feb 27th, 2015 01:58 AM
emcash
Caribbean Islands
6
Jan 5th, 2009 02:50 PM
nmgrammy
Air Travel
20
Mar 8th, 2006 05:55 AM
tana
Europe
9
Jun 11th, 2004 10:32 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -