Travelers arriving at San Diego International Airport walk into two main terminals separated by a short distance, with the newly opened Terminal 1 handling Southwest, Alaska, and Frontier flights across its expanded concourses featuring 30 gates, while Terminal 2 manages United, Delta, and international arrivals at gates 20 through 22.
Passengers connect between terminals via free shuttle buses running every 10 to 15 minutes from curbside stops, taking five minutes to cover the gap, or on foot through pedestrian bridges linking parking and transit areas in under 10 minutes.
The layout keeps navigation simple with wide corridors and overhead signs in English and Spanish, where gate walks in Terminal 1 span 5 to 15 minutes across its modern halls, and Terminal 2’s interconnected concourses allow seamless movement airside without reclearing security, all on a single runway site that sees over 25 million passengers yearly through five checkpoints that process flows efficiently.
The airport rests three miles northwest of downtown along North Harbor Drive off Interstate 5, a 10- to 20-minute drive weaving past the bay and through light urban traffic. Metropolitan Transit System’s Route 992 bus picks up from both terminals every 15 minutes on weekdays for 2.50 dollars, reaching the Santa Fe Depot in 20 minutes with connections to Amtrak or trolley lines, while the Route 60 Inglewood links to Old Town for 2.25 dollars in 15 minutes.
Ridesharess like Uber and Lyft drop off at departures curbs, taxis line up at transit islands for 20 dollars to the city center, and hotel shuttles operate from dedicated bays around the clock. Rental cars from 14 providers shuttle from the consolidated center a mile away in free buses every 10 minutes, and parking garages next to Terminal 1 offer daily spots at 39 dollars with 5,200 new spaces, economy lots farther out at 18 dollars that reserve via app during peaks.
Security advances at three checkpoints in Terminal 1 and two in Terminal 2 open from 4 a.m. to last flight, where TSA PreCheck and CLEAR lanes trim waits to under 10 minutes typically, though construction zones in Terminal 1 can add 15 minutes during mornings. Connections run with 40-minute minimums for domestic hops via shuttles, leaving room for a quick gate change or lounge visit, while international arrivals in Terminal 2 clear customs in 30 to 45 minutes before baggage or onward buses.
On-time departures average 81 percent from carrier logs, supported by the 9,400-foot runway juggling 900 daily flights, but coastal fog in mornings or afternoon marine layers often trigger 20-minute holds, and New T1 transition phases might cause gate reassignments. The SAN app delivers real-time pings for those updates, from weather to staffing turns.
Dining covers more than 50 outlets across both terminals, from grab spots like Starbucks open at 4 a.m. in Terminal 1 to sit-down choices such as Puesto for tacos or Kettner Exchange for craft cocktails in Terminal 2 running 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Retail lines the concourses with Hudson News for snacks and reads from early hours, duty-free in Terminal 2 stocked with local wines and perfumes for global routes, and stores like San Diego Souvenirs for apparel or tech kiosks near central nodes.
Facilities include free Wi-Fi with two-hour sessions renewable via #SANfreewifi, charging hubs at every gate cluster, pet relief areas airside with waste stations in both terminals, and nursing rooms post-security with locks. Lounges like Delta Sky Club in Terminal 2 offer showers and snacks for members, art displays dot the halls for a glance, and accessible shuttles with ramps span the site. The terminals keep pace with info kiosks staffed from dawn, handing off steady paths to the next boarding.
