SFO vs OAK

[seaboy4hire]

Hey there guys! I have a question for those who are in the bay area. I will be in SF next month and am thinking of flying my pops up from LA but was wondering which airport is closer to downtown SF SFO or OAK? I've flown in and out of both airports and both to seem take almost the same amount of time. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Hugs,

Greg

Greg Seattle Wa [email protected]

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/gregseattle.html http://briefcase.yahoo.com/seaboy4hire

[BobbyThompson]

If it's all the same, you should have him fly to SFO rather than OAK. They're probably equidistant, however, with OAK you've gotta cross like two bridges and with heavy traffic that can add an hour to your drive each way. Not to mention in terms of airport organization, OAK is like the Gates of Hell. It can be a really difficult airport to travel through, and that's only with carry-ons!

 

Also, I think I saw when I was in SFO that they have completed some sort of subway system that takes you from the airport to downtown SF for like $17 or something like that.

 

As far as LA goes, depending on where your dad lives, BUR might be a better option. It's a pleasant drive through the valley and closer than LAX for some people.

 

Good luck, but I'm sure you two will have a blast either way.

 

Bobby Thompson

LA

[trilingual]

The airports are about the same distance from downtown San Francisco. SFO is now easier than ever since direct BART service began last summer. The station is in the international terminal, but there's also a new people-mover train from the domestic terminals that zooms you to the BART station in a minute or so. One way fare is about $4.50. If you're not carrying a lot of luggage, it's the easiest and least expensive way to go. Some downtown hotels are right at BART stations or within a block or so, like the Marriott, the Renaissance, the Sheraton Palace, the Four Seasons and the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Otherwise, there are airport shuttles that will take passengers directy to their downtown hotels for about $17. (If there's more than one passenger, it's worth taking a cab --fare to downtown is around $35.)

 

Cab and shuttle fares from OAK are significantly more. However, there is also BART service: catch the shuttle bus to the BART station (about a five minute ride) and hop the train into downtown S.F. OAK has been very crowded lately; there are plans for new terminals, but for the moment it can be a real mob scene at times. However, it's the airport of choice if your destination is in the East Bay.

[OneFinger]

I worked on a project in Oakland in 2000 and flew in/out of OAK a lot. It's really the best choice if you're going to stay in Oakland or the north end of things.

 

For downtown SF, there's no question that SFO is the best choice.

 

I believe OAK has cheaper flights but the hassle of getting to/from there isn't worth it.

[bigguyinpasadena]

One of the major drawbacks to SFO is their flight delay history.

It is also a masive airport-easy to get lost/confused/flustered.I have not been to SFO since the new bart connection has been up and running.

I think you should plan on meeting your Dad at the Airport-Nice way to show you care about his wellbeing.

I personally prefer Oakland,but it is not an airport to hang out in.

Greg,you can check for flight sched's on SMARTERLIVING.COM.Go to their flight section-put in your city pair and they will bring up the shed's for all of the airlines.

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Union Square

 

When you say which is closer to Downtown, I assume you mean the Union Square area of San Francisco, and not the Financial District. The new Bart connection at SFO is not much different than the connection at Oakland: in that respect, taking Bart from Oakland is probably slightly faster and slightly more convenient, since the terminal points are clearer and easier to find at Oakland (you merely step outside the terminal in Oakland whereas at SFO, you need to find your way around).

 

I am not sure what Bobby is referring to, there is only one bridge you would need to drive over from Oakland, but if your father is staying with you in "downtown" San Francisco, there is no reason for him to either rent a car or take a shuttle van from Oakland airport to San Francisco. Unless your sight seeing includes something like Napa or some really good reason to rent a car, a car would be not only unnecessary but a waste of money and more problematic than not. Additionally, if you were going to make a day trip somewhere that required a car (such as the wine country, or Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, etc.), you can easily rent one in Union Square without having to pick up and drop off at the airport or renting a car for more time than you need and then having to pay for very expensive parking.

 

All that said, I fly to the bay area and have flown to the bay area at least four or five times a year since I left in 1997. I always prefer to fly into SFO simply because it tends to be more convenient. However, if there is a good sale into Oakland, I have and would continue to fly into that airport if it meant saving at least $50 (for example, when Southwest has their entire system on sale and I can fly into Oakland for $74 versus $129 or more at SFO). If the air fare is more or less equiviilent, your dad should fly into SFO.

 

Once at SFO, he has two public transit options into both Union Square and the Financial District: Sam Trans and Bart. He can also take a van shuttle. I would never recommend a cab from SFO unless you or your father wanted to spend the cash.

[+ deej]

RE: Union Square

 

If fares are an issue, check Jet Blue (http://www.jetblue.com).

 

They're usually hands-down cheapest from Long Beach to Oakland. $50 each way is not unusual.

 

Of course, then you have to deal with getting to/from both Long Beach and Oakland. ;-)

 

Also remember that when flying into SFO, it isn't unusual for flights to get diverted to Oakland *anyway* because of fog.

 

It's all a crap shoot when flying into SF.

[seaboy4hire]

RE: Union Square

 

Oh I didn't know that Jet Blue flew from socal up to the bay area. I've heard good things about Blue and would perfer to fly my dad in a nicer plane (if thats really possible these days) then United. Thanks for all the tips.

 

Hugs,

Greg

Greg Seattle Wa [email protected]

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/gregseattle.html http://briefcase.yahoo.com/seaboy4hire

[tedbear]

>there's also a new people-mover

>train from the domestic terminals that zooms you to the BART

>station in a minute or so. One way fare is about $4.50. If

>you're not carrying a lot of luggage, it's the easiest and

>least expensive way to go. Some downtown hotels are right at

>BART stations or within a block or so, like the Marriott, the

>Renaissance, the Sheraton Palace, the Four Seasons and the

>Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.

 

I'm pretty sure BART only takes exact change. A friend and I took the bus to the BART station a few years ago, and we both had no small bills. We ended up grabbing a cab at the BART station to get to our hotel. We could have saved almost an hour that we spent trying to get change!

[Steven_Draker]

That’s correct; you’d better have several one dollar bills before getting to the BART station.

When I went to the Coliseum station there was that very helpful guy selling newspapers, who was more than happy to provide change.

 

As a side note: Southwest Airlines have flights from LAX to OAK http://www.southwest.com

 

Hope this helps.

Steven Draker ~