San Diego International Airport Guide: Flights, Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Delays, News, and Nearby Airports

The Busiest One Runway Commercial Airport In The U.S.

Yes, San Diego International Airport (SAN) has a single 9,401-foot runway that handles from 500-600 flights each day, depending on the time of year. With two terminals, 51 gates, and 16 airlines providing service, SAN gets the job done and is the best commercial airport for convenience in Southern California. At present, SAN offers nonstop flights to 87 destinations, providing more than 24 million annual travelers with a great alternative to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) which is just 124 miles away by car. However, how long that drive from San Diego to LAX takes can range from as little as two to even five hours depending on traffic levels on I-5. Along the way the San Diego Freeway (I-5) also passes John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA), another good alternate airport, but there aren’t as many carriers, flights, or destinations available from SNA.

Without question, San Diego International is our favorite airline served airport in SoCal, especially if San Diego County or surrounding communities are your destination or origination point. For travelers planning to stay close to the airport or the city center, the drive from the airport to downtown is a truly short two and one-half miles. The only other major American city that comes close to this degree of geographic convenience is Boston, but if you’ve ever tried to drive between Logan International Airport (BOS) and downtown, you are aware of the massive traffic jams that often occur there. There is nothing of the sort in San Diego between the airport and downtown (though there is plenty of traffic elsewhere in the region), where transferring between either terminal to your nearby hotel will likely take just a matter of minutes.

Fun Facts About Charles Lindbergh San Diego International Airport

In order to develop the land where the airport now sits, the San Diego River was rerouted to that it would end at the Pacific Ocean rather than Mission Bay.

Ryan Aeronautical Company, the builder of the Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” aircraft was located nearby the airport’s location.

The airport’s name honors Charles Lindbergh who flew the first transatlantic flight from Long Island’s Roosevelt Field to Le Bourget Field in Paris in May of 1927. The historic flight took 33.5 hours and arrived at 10:22 p.m. to a cheering crowd of an estimated 150,000 Parisians. The airport opened on August 16, 1928.

Military aircraft were manufactured by Consolidated Aircraft at the field during World War II. Part of the former factory is now home to the airport’s car rental facility.

The first jet flights from SAN took off in September 1960, with American Airlines service to Phoenix and United Airlines to San Francisco. Chicago and New York jet service began in 1962 and 1967, respectively.

The airport currently has 19 gates in the single concourse Terminal 1, with plans to add another 11 gates by 2028. Terminal 2 has 31 gates over two concourses, as well as the international arrivals facility. Some international flights arrive at Terminal 1 after clearing U.S. Customs and Immigration at their origination point.

Unusual for U.S. airports, San Diego International employs a curfew on airliner operations between 11:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. to keep noise complaints from area residents at bay.

Domestic and International Airlines serving SAN from Terminal 1:

Southwest/ IATA (International Air Transport Association) code WN. Nonstop service to 44 destinations with about 100 daily flights across the Continental U.S., Hawaii, and Mexico. WN is the top airline at SAN with about 37 percent of the daily flights serving the airport.

Frontier/ IATA code F9. Direct flights from Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Austin (AUS), Salt Lake City (SLC), and San Francisco (SFO).

jetBlue/ IATA code B6. Direct flights from Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), and Orlando (MCO).

Sun Country/ IATA code SY. Direct flights from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP).

Breeze/ IATA code MX. Direct flights from Providence (PVD), Pittsburgh (PIT), Norfolk (ORF), Raleigh-Durham (RDU), Hartford-Springfield (BDL), Jacksonville (JAX), and Cincinnati (CVG).

Air Canada/ IATA code AC. Direct flights from Vancouver (YVR) and Calgary (YYC).

WestJet/ IATA code WS. Direct flights from Calgary (YYC).

Domestic and International Airlines serving SAN from Terminal 2:

Alaska/ IATA code AS. Nonstop service to 50 destinations (not including wholly owned subsidiary Hawaiian Airlines), with about 75 daily flights across the Continental U.S., Hawaii, and Mexico. AS is growing rapidly at SAN and now serves 50 destinations.

Hawaiian/ The wholly owned Alaska Airlines subsidiary now shares the IATA code AS.

American/ IATA code AA. Direct flights from AA hubs across the U.S.

Delta/ IATA code DL. Direct flights from DL hubs across the U.S.

United/ IATA code UA. Direct flights from UA hubs across the U.S.

British Airways/ IATA code BA. Direct flights from London (LHR).

Lufthansa/ IATA code LH. Direct flights from Munich (MUC).

Japan Airlines/ IATA code JL. Direct flights from Tokyo (NRT).

KLM/ IATA code KL. Direct flights from Amsterdam (AMS).

Copa/ IATA code CM. Direct flights to Panama City, Panama (PTY).

Ground Transportation Options at SAN

In addition to the usual taxi, Uber/Lyft, and rental car options available for arriving passengers to reach their local destination, there are public transit options that may interest you. MTS (Metropolitan Transit System) bus route 992 connects both terminals with downtown San Diego. In addition to making stops within walking distance of numerous hotels, bus riders may also transfer at the Santa Fe Depot to Amtrak and Coaster trains, Rapid Bus Service, as well as the Blue and Green lines of the San Diego Trolley light rail system. MTS route 992 also connects at the City College Station with the Blue and Orange lines of trolley system, plus Rapid Bus Service.

Free-of-charge buses that operate between the airport and the Old Town Transit Center are known as the San Diego Flyer shuttle. The all-electric transportation line operates every 20-30 minutes with convenient timed connections for the trolley system, Coasters, Amtrak, and other MTS buses. If you are headed to the trolley upon arrival, take the rental car shuttle and advise the driver that you would like to exit the bus for the trolley’s Middletown Station. From the bus drop-off there is a two block walk to the trolley. If you are returning to the airport when departing San Diego, walk from the trolley to the same bus stop where the driver will stop and take you to either terminal.

Similar to many other large airports, San Diego International offers a consolidated Rental Car Center that houses 12 companies under one roof. A 24/7 complimentary shuttle operates from the both terminals to the center. This is a designated pickup island outside of each terminal where you can access the transportation. The shuttle runs every 5-10 minutes depending on the time of day. All major companies have counters here as well as Fox, Payless, Sixt, and zipcar.

The Best Areas To Stay in San Diego

If you’ve been getting the lay of the land while planning your trip to San Diego, you know that the area is pretty spread out, though thankfully it’s far smaller than Los Angeles and Orange counties to the north. Still, tourist hot spots such as La Jolla, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and LEGOLAND is Carlsbad are a fair distance from the city’s core. What kind of vacation you prefer will help determine the best area for you to book accommodations. You may be more of a beach person where Pacific Beach, Coronado, Del Mar, or La Jolla will be more to your liking. And if you’re looking for a city escape, staying downtown within walking distance of Balboa Park, Little Italy, Petco Park, the Embarcadero, and the Gaslamp Quarter may be your best option.

No matter what you decide, we highly recommend utilizing our favorite hotel booking website, Travelated, where you will find the widest selection of properties in all price range and areas convenient for a San Diego getaway. With more than 220 hotels to choose from, Travelated offers all major brands, and many independent hotels that offer incredible value for vacationers. Should staying as close to the airport as possible on your day of arrival or the night before departing be important, we recommend taking a look at:

1. Hilton San Diego Airport/Harbor Island

Address: 1960 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, 92101, CA, US

Hilton San Diego Airport/Harbor Island (3 stars)

2. Hampton Inn & Suites San Diego Airport Liberty Station

Address: 2211 Lee Court, San Diego, 92101, CA, US

Hampton Inn by Hilton San Diego Airport/Liberty Station (3 stars)

3. Holiday Inn Express San Diego Airport-Old Town by IHG

Address: 1955 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, 92110, CA, US

Holiday Inn Express by IHG Airport (2 stars)

4. Sheraton San Diego Resort

Address: 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, 92101, CA, US

and the Sheraton San Diego Resort (4 stars), all of which provide complimentary shuttle service between the airport and hotel.

Incredible Weather and Spectacular Sunsets Await You In San Diego

If you usually think of Los Angeles and Hollywood when you think of Southern California, take our advice and set your sites on San Diego for a fantastic getaway with ideal weather. It’s still plenty big with 1.4 million residents in the city proper and 3.3 million in San Diego County but isn’t so overwhelming so you have figure out how much of your day will be taken up by driving. Animal lovers flock here to visit the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, and museum aficionados can spend day after day touring multiple world-class venues in Balboa Park.

Sun, sand, surfing, and so much more awaits you in San Diego, California, USA.