San Francisco - Alison Bing [227]
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Airlines
Alaska Airlines (AS; 800-252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) Covers much of the western USA, Canada and Western Mexico; direct service to Hawaii, Alaska and Seattle.
British Airways (BA; 800-247-9297; www.britishairways.com) Offers nonstop flights to London.
Continental Airlines (CO; 800-523-3273; www.continental.com) Serves a wide range of domestic locations, including nonstop service to Chicago, New York and Houston (hub), and onward to major airports in Asia and Europe.
Delta Airlines (DL; 800-221-1212; www.delta.com) Serves domestic airports, with Atlanta the hub; international partners serve major European destinations.
Jet Blue (B6; 800-538-2583; www.jetblue.com) Flies from Oakland and San Francisco. Often has the cheapest flights to New York City, and has nonstop service to Boston, Austin, Long Beach (California) and Washington DC.
Northwest Airlines (NW; 800-225-2525; www.nwa.com) Partners with Dutch carrier KLM to serve 1000 cities in 160 countries.
Southwest Airlines (SW; 800-435-9792; www.southwest.com) Low rates on flights throughout the USA from Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose.
United Airlines (UA; 800-864-8331, international 800-538-2929; www.united.com) Serves a wide range of destinations to and from its hub at SFO, with direct service to Australia, London, Japan, Hong Kong, Beijing and Munich.
Virgin Airlines (VS; 800-821-5438; www.virgin-atlantic.com, www.virginamerica.com) Virgin Atlantic flies nonstop to London; Virgin America offers low-cost nonstop service to LA, San Diego, Seattle, New York and Boston.
Airports
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
One of the busiest airports in the country, San Francisco International Airport (SFO; Map; 650-821-8211; www.flysfo.com) serves over 40 million passengers annually on 45 airlines. Flights to/from Asia, Europe and Latin America go through the International terminal; the North and South terminals handle domestic flights. The International terminal has racked up awards for food and architecture; Terminal 2 is currently undergoing reinvention as a LEED Silver-certified green building. The entire airport is nonsmoking.
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CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL
Climate change is a serious threat to the ecosystems that humans rely upon, and air travel is the fastest-growing contributor to the problem. Lonely Planet regards travel, overall, as a global benefit, but believes we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming.
Flying & Climate Change
Pretty much every form of motor transport generates CO2 (the main cause of human-induced climate change) but planes are far and away the worst offenders, not just because of the sheer distances they allow us to travel, but because they release greenhouse gases high into the atmosphere. The statistics are frightening: two people taking a return flight between Europe and the US will contribute as much to climate change as an average household’s gas and electricity consumption over a whole year.
Carbon Offset Schemes
Climatecare.org and other websites use ‘carbon calculators’ that allow jetsetters to offset the greenhouse gases they are responsible for with contributions to energy-saving projects and other climate-friendly initiatives in the developing world – including projects in India, Honduras, Kazakhstan and Uganda.
Lonely Planet, together with Rough Guides and other concerned partners in the travel industry, supports the carbon offset scheme run by climatecare.org. Lonely Planet offsets all of its staff and author travel.
For more information check out our website: www.lonelyplanet.com.
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There are information booths ( 8am-1:30am) and white courtesy phones (information 7-0018) on the lower (arrivals)