On a recent trip to san Diego, we obviously had to use the airport, firstly flying into the airport from Chicago and on the return journey flying from San Diego to Los Angeles
A bit of history...
The airport was built in 1928 and was once considered the "Air Capital of the west". It is now the 30th busiest airport in single runway commercial service in America and when the airport celebrated its 75th anniversary, a documentary about its past and present was produced
Where is it?
The airport itself is easily accessible and for anyone who knows the area is on harbor drive, just North of down town
San diego. Fortunately for us it is also about 25km from where we were staying in La Jolla, so we didn't have a long transfer journey. The airport has 3 terminals- Communter Terminal, terminal 1 and terminal 2. There is quite a distance between the terminals and it apparently takes 10 minutes to travel between the terminals when it is not rush hour. Fortunately we didn't have to transfer so it was a breeze! The airport itself is very modern and state of the arts and one of the most eye catching is the aeroplane hanging over the entrance/exit area, which I found out later was the Spirit of St Louis. So, as we wandered about, there was plenty to look at and what struck me most was how modern and airy the airport is.
Food and Drink
There are more than 30 food and drink places spread throughout the airport, with only one (commuter cafe) in the commuter terminal and the others spread across terminals one and two. There is a really good selection of cafes and restaurants, with food and drink options ranging from Mexican and American entrees, coffee shops (obviously Starbucks featured), and there are eateries specialising in san Diego menus. We just had a short wait so just sampled the coffee because we had eaten previously but there is definitely something for everyone the restaurants and cafes are all clearly signposted and well laid out so it doesn't seem crowded and although there are lots of eating and drinking places they don't take over the place. Because it's auite a small airport, it' amazing that they managed to fit in so many eating and drinking areas but they are there!
Shopping
Always the most (only) entertaining bit of waiting in an airport, and even then bearable only if there is no delay. The shops are the usual kind expected in airports and spread out across Therminals one and two. There are the usual stationery, book and gift shops, and duty free, which always seem to be the same wherever I go in the world.
My experience of the airport...
Flying into and out of San Diego airport was a painless experience. After a 22 hour journey from Newcastle, bags were easily reclaimed and because I had flown internally there was none of the immigration controls and questions I had experienced at Chicago airport. Once outside, it was easy to get a taxi, and it seems that there are very frequent buses linking people to different areas. The strange thing about flying into this airport is how low the planes fly to get into to the airport. It seemed as though we were flying really low between the buildings and although I knew (hoped) we wouldn't, it was as though we would scrape the tops of the buildings. Certainly when driving in certain parts of the city, it's a shock how close the aeroplanes fly to the cars! Flying back home I experienced no delays, so having left the heat of outside, it was quite pleasant sitting in the air conditioned airport and looking in the seriously small duty free shop. It was still possible to find seats although because I was going to be sitting down for so long, I preferred a wander! I was flying on one of the very small aeroplanes on the 50 minute journey to Los Angeles, so after showing my tickets, I had to wait on the runway at a kind of bus stop for the plane to be made ready. I believe this is quite usual but for someone used to being shepherded onto planes it was quite unusual watching them take hand luggage which was too big for the plane and piling it up ready for the hold. Fortunately my bag was very small but for some there was a mad scramble as they realised that the bag which had been taken from them contained passports and money.
However, all in all, an easy airport to travel in and out of. Small but with plenty of amenities and hassle free.
Nice review. I always arrive at the airport early because I get paranoid about missing flights, so when there's nothing to do in the airport I get tetchy!
redeyes22 25.11.2008 00:28
great review aggy
pgn0 24.11.2008 23:11
Good review! Lindbergh Field, or SAN, isn't it? I am surprised that people can still loiter on the bit of no-man's-land between the terminal building and the plane itself, but I guess anyone not waiting to board would be mad to be out in the heat ;-)
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Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Being the closest Ramada to San Diego International Airport is just the first reason to ... more
stay with the Ramada Limited San Diego Airport. Also right across the street from the World's Biggest Sport Fishing Landing, it's within walking distance to some of San Diego's finest restaurants and yacht clubs. The San Diego Zoo and Sea World are just minutes away. The San Diego nightlife is only 5 minutes from the hotel, as well as Sea Port Village, Gas Lamp District and Waterfront Convention Center. Outdoor adventures include whale watching, deep sea fishing, roller blading, bike riding, surfing, sailing, and golf. All 80 rooms have 25'' color TVs, data ports, refrigerators and microwaves. The hotel offers a complimentary continental breakfast to all guests. Also available is an outdoor heated swimming pool.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
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Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
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