Which airport for San Fran?

5

5 Disney Fans

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
All things considered, it is easier to fly into SFO or OAK? I see better times for us arriving at OAK but $25 more per person (there are 5 of us). But if the drive isn't that bad and the rental car pick up is easier and the airport easier to navigate I'd do OAK. Especially if it means we can arrive at 3pm instead of 10pm.

Any insights would be appreciated!
 
I'd do Oakland if it gets you in when it's still light outside and you can get your sense of surroundings. Be sure to account for bridge tolls if you are staying on the SF side. (to clarify...if you fly into Oakland and need to go into SF, there are tolls).
 
SFO isn't really all that bad. It's not a total zoo like LAX or JFK and public transportation has gotten much better once BART finally built their SFO station. The worst part of using SFO is weather-related delays. They schedule a lot more flights than the other area airports (OAK and SJC), and need to use their closely spaced dual runways (a pair for takeoffs and a pair for landings) to achieve that schedule. Once the fog rolls in they have to reduce it to one for takeoffs and one for landings and the schedules can't be met.

http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/11/21/sfo-ranks-worst-airport-when-it-comes-to-weather-delays

Depending on where you're going, you might consider San Jose. I've even heard of some people using Sacramento because it was cheaper. However, if your choices are flying into OAK at 3 PM and SFO at 10 PM, I'd take Oakland. BART access good and with the new airport connector you never have to step outside the station and your cost is part of the fare structure. If you need to rent a car, I've found that Oakland is often much cheaper.

If you don't mind, about where are you staying and planning on going? I know some people just head for Lake Tahoe or Yosemite before heading back to the Bay Area, so that might make a difference. If you're not renting a car, then maybe flying into one airport and out the other may work.
 
Thanks so much for the quick replies, very helpful! We are renting a car and one of the reasons I was thinking of switching to OAK over SFO is the limited rental car availability at SFO. If we are get in late there might not be our car type left (minivan). I do have one reserved through Dollar and when I went to change our arrival time it said "vehicle not available" so I started to get nervous about landing so late and then trying to find our hotel after mid-night if the rental car stuff holds us up. Our plan is to spend three nights in San Francisco, drive to Yosemite for two days, then head to Disneyland. From Disneyland we were going to drive to Vegas and fly home from there. We have a family of 5 so with all that driving we would be much more comfortable in a minivan to avoid the "he's touching me!" fights. In looking at rental car costs (which are a nightmare for one way!) it is actually cheaper to rent in OAK so that would offset the higher amount we need to pay to fly into OAK. Luckily we are flying SW so no fee to change the flight.
 


5 Disney Fans said:
Thanks so much for the quick replies, very helpful! We are renting a car and one of the reasons I was thinking of switching to OAK over SFO is the limited rental car availability at SFO. If we are get in late there might not be our car type left (minivan). I do have one reserved through Dollar and when I went to change our arrival time it said "vehicle not available" so I started to get nervous about landing so late and then trying to find our hotel after mid-night if the rental car stuff holds us up. Our plan is to spend three nights in San Francisco, drive to Yosemite for two days, then head to Disneyland. From Disneyland we were going to drive to Vegas and fly home from there. We have a family of 5 so with all that driving we would be much more comfortable in a minivan to avoid the "he's touching me!" fights. In looking at rental car costs (which are a nightmare for one way!) it is actually cheaper to rent in OAK so that would offset the higher amount we need to pay to fly into OAK. Luckily we are flying SW so no fee to change the flight.
Click to expand...

We are doing almost the exact same plan! Minus the trip to Vegas. Car rentals are crazy high right now.
 
5 Disney Fans said:
Thanks so much for the quick replies, very helpful! We are renting a car and one of the reasons I was thinking of switching to OAK over SFO is the limited rental car availability at SFO. If we are get in late there might not be our car type left (minivan). I do have one reserved through Dollar and when I went to change our arrival time it said "vehicle not available" so I started to get nervous about landing so late and then trying to find our hotel after mid-night if the rental car stuff holds us up. Our plan is to spend three nights in San Francisco, drive to Yosemite for two days, then head to Disneyland. From Disneyland we were going to drive to Vegas and fly home from there. We have a family of 5 so with all that driving we would be much more comfortable in a minivan to avoid the "he's touching me!" fights. In looking at rental car costs (which are a nightmare for one way!) it is actually cheaper to rent in OAK so that would offset the higher amount we need to pay to fly into OAK. Luckily we are flying SW so no fee to change the flight.
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In that case, definitely fly into Oakland. The only issue you might have is with bridge tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge. That gets kind of tricky. We have the "FasTrak" toll tag in our family cars, but I'm not quite sure how it works with a rental car. It's possible to register your personal car for tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge but I haven't dealt with a rental. For the tolls on the Bay Bridge (or other bridges), you might just consider paying cash, even though there's a carpool rate ($2.50) during the commute hours when you'll probably cross it. Carpool rates can only be paid via FasTrak. Mostly the advantage would be saving time. I'd ask at the rental counter how that works. From what I hear, the rental agencies tend to charge a large fee for use of a FasTrak transponder.

http://goldengate.org/tolls/faqs.php#rentalvehicles

Also - consider San Jose. Southwest actually has a lot more flights into SJC than SFO and their rental rates (plus airport fees) are typically lower. The rental car center is also near the terminal rather than in a remote rental car center (like OAK and SFO).
 
czmom said:
We are doing almost the exact same plan! Minus the trip to Vegas. Car rentals are crazy high right now.
Click to expand...

I posted a question about this site on the Transportation board to see if anyone has ever used this website:
http://www.vacationoutlet.com/promotion/vo/carrental/ It gave me a pretty good rate (compared to other codes) for Dollar.

The fairs into SJC are much higher than OAK, I'm coming from the East Coast so that may be why. Thanks so much for the link above and the heads up on the toll bridges!
 


It's caused a whole lot of confusion because the Golden Gate Bridge has gone to all electronic toll collection. It's also punitive if you don't set up an account or don't borrow a transponder. I've heard that rental car agencies tack on huge fees to process the bills.

All the east-west bridges charge toll going west. The Golden Gate Bridge has toll going south into San Francisco. The northern bridges have tolls going north.

With a big family in a minivan you'll qualify for all the carpool lanes during posted hours. You'll need FasTrak for carpool toll discounts.

Have fun. I know all this toll stuff can be confusing.
 
The toll stuff really is confusing. I wonder if they will charge us per day for the transponder. We will only be in San Fran for 2.5 days. then returning the van in Las Vegas a week later.
 
Wow that is very confusing. I better start looking into tolls and directions. All I know is we fly into OAK and stay in SF before heading to Yosemite. If we get to drive across the GG bridge that will be a bonus :)
 
5 Disney Fans said:
The toll stuff really is confusing. I wonder if they will charge us per day for the transponder. We will only be in San Fran for 2.5 days. then returning the van in Las Vegas a week later.
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All the bridges in the area take cash tolls except for the Golden Gate Bridge. However, I had the day off today and drove to San Francisco across the Bay Bridge. It's not always like this, but the "cash lanes" were really backed up, but the FasTrak-only were clear. I'd estimate that we saved maybe 15-20 minutes along with a ton of aggravation. Some days the FasTrak lanes are backed up, but all lanes take FasTrak and the "cash lanes" have no backup. The toll collectors hear a beep and basically ignore any car that has a transponder.

It's the rental car situation that mucks up everything. A lot of people suspect that the rental car agencies are looking to turn the "processing fees" into a profit center. Also - I'm not quite sure what it means with FasTrak with a drop-off in Las Vegas. It is interchangeable throughout toll bridges/roads in California, although each area has its own issuer. I could use my "Bay Area FasTrak" on toll roads around LA.

If you're doing this ahead of time, you might just consider buying a FasTrak transponder. There's normally a deposit required (none if you autoload with a credit card) but Costco sells them at a discount (including by delivery) and you get to keep the transponder. Around the Bay Area you're allowed to register one bought from Costco up to 7 days after you use it, but I'd probably register it ASAP just in case it doesn't work and your rental car license plate is recorded as a toll violation. If you're a member, local Costco stores sell it for $24.99 with a $30 toll credit, and you can add whatever you need once you set up an account. I'm not sure about buying online (you don't have to be a member if you pay a $10 surcharge). I'm getting a message that delivery is $25.

http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11195945&whse=BD_823&topnav=bdoff

146401b.jpg


Flying into any of the Bay Area airports - there's a Cosco in San Leandro south of OAK, one in South San Francisco north of SFO, and one in Santa Clara right next to SJC. I work in Silicon Valley, and you can see the planes taxiing from that Costco.

It might also be possible to order one directly from Bay Area FasTrakand return it later by mail, but I'm not sure how that works if you've got a rental.

It might also be possible to order one and return it later by mail, but I'm not sure how that works if you've got a rental.
 
czmom said:
Wow that is very confusing. I better start looking into tolls and directions. All I know is we fly into OAK and stay in SF before heading to Yosemite. If we get to drive across the GG bridge that will be a bonus :)
Click to expand...

If you're heading for Yosemite the next day, maybe skip San Francisco and come back later? Possibly stay in Merced or Tracy?

You can go across the Golden Gate Bridge without paying tolls in the northbound direction. But if you need to get back to San Francisco then you'll either need to be registered in some way to pay tolls electronically or go back through Marin, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and then cash tolls at the Bay Bridge.
 
Do you need the rental car in SF? We are doing a similar trip in September (adding Big Sur, skipping Vegas). First 3 nights are in SF then we collect the rental the day we are leaving. Parking costs are astronomical in the city plus I don't think it is the easiest place to drive around (and then you still have to find parking at the attractions).
 
czmom said:
Wow that is very confusing. I better start looking into tolls and directions. All I know is we fly into OAK and stay in SF before heading to Yosemite. If we get to drive across the GG bridge that will be a bonus :)
Click to expand...
McNs said:
Do you need the rental car in SF? We are doing a similar trip in September (adding Big Sur, skipping Vegas). First 3 nights are in SF then we collect the rental the day we are leaving. Parking costs are astronomical in the city plus I don't think it is the easiest place to drive around (and then you still have to find parking at the attractions).
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My cousin brought her family to SF for a vacation and none of our extended family found out until she contacted us with a message that she was here. They live in Orange County, and we've stayed over at their place before when visiting DL. They didn't take their own car; they typically would drive but we were told their kid now gets carsick after a few hours. They got the SF CityPASS and got around San Francisco by MUNI or out of SF by tour bus. It's actually pretty convenient to get around by public transportation if you're in a central location (they stayed at Union Square). I went to their hotel once and wondered about parking (maybe $60/day with in-out). I also searched a while for free street parking, but then saw a garage with $1/hr rates in the evening.

I guess the question is where to rent. I know there are rentals in downtown SF, but I heard they cost a lot. The cheaper locations often are in oddball locations and typically serve mostly locals.
 
If you are going from SF to Yosemite then you won't need to cross the GG Bridge, you would take the Bay Bridge back towards Oakland. Bay Bridge you can pay the toll with cash, no need for the Fastrak. You can still enjoy the GG Bridge from the Presidio (the Walt Disney Family Museum is located there) or from the Pacific/beach side. You can also park on the SF side and walk/bike across. Have fun!
 
Angrose said:
If you are going from SF to Yosemite then you won't need to cross the GG Bridge, you would take the Bay Bridge back towards Oakland. Bay Bridge you can pay the toll with cash, no need for the Fastrak. You can still enjoy the GG Bridge from the Presidio (the Walt Disney Family Museum is located there) or from the Pacific/beach side. You can also park on the SF side and walk/bike across. Have fun!
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I was thinking that the OP mentioned two nights in San Francisco. That could include sightseeing in Marin or just a drive across the bridge. Conzemlan Road in the Marin a Headlands is spectacular. There are tour buses that go across the bridge though, but I don't know of any that do Vonzelman Road.
 
Angrose said:
If you are going from SF to Yosemite then you won't need to cross the GG Bridge, you would take the Bay Bridge back towards Oakland. Bay Bridge you can pay the toll with cash, no need for the Fastrak. You can still enjoy the GG Bridge from the Presidio (the Walt Disney Family Museum is located there) or from the Pacific/beach side. You can also park on the SF side and walk/bike across. Have fun!
Click to expand...

I was wondering the same thing why everyone was mentioning the Golden Gate Bridge since they would be using the Bay Bridge. I've been to SF numerous times since I live 90 minutes away and would still prefer to come in during the day instead of night. If you have no desire to spend time in SF but using it for the hotel, I would consider something on the way to Yosemite. But, if you want to see a few hours of SF, then you could go toward the wharf area/Ghiridelli area, see the Golden Gate Bridge, get some sourdough and chocolate, see the cable cars. In the morning, drive down Lombard Street and then head out toward Yosemite.
 
sasywtch said:
I was wondering the same thing why everyone was mentioning the Golden Gate Bridge since they would be using the Bay Bridge. I've been to SF numerous times since I live 90 minutes away and would still prefer to come in during the day instead of night. If you have no desire to spend time in SF but using it for the hotel, I would consider something on the way to Yosemite. But, if you want to see a few hours of SF, then you could go toward the wharf area/Ghiridelli area, see the Golden Gate Bridge, get some sourdough and chocolate, see the cable cars. In the morning, drive down Lombard Street and then head out toward Yosemite.
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Well, many people come to San Francisco to be tourists, and driving across the Golden Gate Bridge is a pretty common touristy thing to do. The OP clarified with two nights in SF, and that sounds like something to do for a day. Since they eliminated cash tolls, it's gotten interesting in SF for rental cars. Renting a transponder incurs a daily fee. Even with one sometimes it doesn't work and the rental agency charges the renter with a hefty fine. I'm not even so sure what happens if it's a one way rental to a location that doesn't use FasTrak. It's easy enough to get FasTrak for your own car, but it's really messed up for rentals.

If it's straight from OAK to Yosemite, then going to San Francisco isn't very cost effective. Most hotels charge ridiculous parking fees, and the hotels themselves are pricey. There are decent places to stay that would be along the way, such as Pleasanton, Livermore, Tracy, or Manteca.
 
OP here, So just to clarify we are flying in to OAK and getting a rental car and driving across the Bay Bridge during the day. Flight lands at 2:50 so by the time we get the car I assume we will be on the road at the beginning of rush hour. I would be fine with waiting in a cash lane for toll even if we would qualify for car pool lane if that means no FasTrak needed. We are staying 3 nights total in San Fran at Columbus Motor Inn (free parking) and then driving early Monday to go to Yosemite. I plan on pulling kids out of bed to get on the road by 6:30am to hopefully avoid traffic. So again going over Bay Bridge on the way to Yosemite. We were considering a visit to Muir Woods while in San Fran, but if that is too tricky to cross the Golden Gate then I'll scratch it off the list since we will see plenty of trees in Yosemite. We are also planning on walking across GG so that will be our touristy fix on the bridge. I could purchase the FasTrak posted above from Costco, but with shipping it would be $50 and I would have to register it to the rental car once we pick it up. $50 may be a bargain though if the rental car agency will charge us by day since it is a 9 day rental (returning the car to LAS) with only using it for two Bay Bridge Crossings and potentially one Golden Gate.
 
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