Yep. Maybe 2 3/4 hrs to play it safe.

Stu Dudley

Got it. Thanks again!

Hope you read this, jent, before departure. If it's a rental car, then you need at least 1/2 hour to return the car. You also need time to check in and get to your gate. Apart from the drive time, you need about 1 1/2 hours more. For an 11am flight, you should plan on leaving by 7am and no later than 7:30am.

Have a safe flight!

Thanks, easytraveler - we planned for that! My friend's flight is at 1 and mine is at 2:30, so we're heading out at 8. If traffic is terrible I can always take the car back and let her go on through security.

jent the earlier you leave from Monterey, the more likely you are to run into traffic, both on the Monterey Penninsula and more significantly through San Jose and the San Francisco Penninsula. If you leave at 8, you will hit traffic on 1, on 156 and 101, especially Gilroy to San Jose; throught San Jose then more traffic on 101 N of San Jose. If you leave around 9, you will miss most of the traffic as you will be going through San Jose at 10. So this is a case of leaving earlier is not necessarily better.

Thanks, SAB - makes sense. We made it safely to SFO in about two hours or a little over, leaving at 8:30. We hit traffic at a couple of spots on 101, and it wasn't the most fun drive ever, but it's done! Waiting to board my flight now. Thanks again for the help, everyone!