I’ve passed through San Francisco International Airport quite a bit. Most of the time I’m traveling United and transiting Terminal 3. With the easy airside connection between T3 and International Terminal G, its quite fun to head over to where all the Star Alliance partner aircraft are parked. The United 737s and Airbus A319s and A320s get a bit old, and I’d rather spend my time watching an Air China 747, an Air New Zealand 777, or any of Lufthansa’s aircraft.
But now I many have found an even better spot to hang out.
The Secret Spot Between SFO T1 and T2
I pass through Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 at SFO less frequently than Terminal 3. I’m also typically not connecting when I’m there, which means I don’t really dawdle, especially if we’ve just landed and are on our way home or to a hotel.
But I had a little time to kill on my most recent trip, arriving hours early for an American Airlines flight to LAX. I decided that it might be time to pass through the airside connecting walkway between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
This was easy enough to find, once I was actually looking for it. Until just a few months ago, I wasn’t even aware of this airside connection!
The walkway is more than just a walkway, though. It is pretty much the perfect place to hang during an extended wait at SFO. There are several benches. Actually, there is a mini lounge area closer to the Terminal 1 side with even nicer seats.
Besides being a very quiet place compared to either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, you’re also positioned between the two terminal arms, with excellent views of runways 1R and 1L. I enjoyed watching aircraft coming and going, catching a few either on their way to International Terminal A, or taxiing to takeoff. First up was this departing Emirates A380:
Then this arriving Finnair A330.
Then a Qantas 787 that was taxiing too quickly for me to get a good shot. I barely had time to turn on my camera and snap a single photo. Didn’t turn out as sharp as I hoped.
One of these days I’ll get a high quality camera and make this even more fun!
Conclusion
I’ll definitely be back to this corner of SFO. It was super nice for both watching aircraft and enjoying the quiet. If you’re passing through either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 at San Francisco International, be sure to check the connecting walkway out.
