Tag: san francisco

SFO to introduce priority security line for public transit riders

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On Thursday, the BART Board of Directors approved a measure with the goal of creating a priority security line for public transit riders at SFO. In their meeting, the directors voted to approve something called trip verification technology (TVT), which would work as follows:

With TVT, SFO-hired staff would use devices at a designated entry point to scan Clipper cards or QR codes on BART apps to verify a customer used public transportation to get to the airport. If the trip on BART or other public transportation is verified, the customer would proceed to a priority line to go through TSA screening.

I’m really excited about this for a few reasons, but mostly because I’m a huge fan of public transit in general and because of the environmental impacts of getting more cars off the road.

Although I almost always take BART to and from the airport, this new system likely won’t affect me since I already use CLEAR which gets me through security in a matter of minutes, regardless of crowds. That said, I do hope this encourages more passangers to take BART, which is really a quick and easy way to get to the airport from SFO (especially if you’re flying out of the International Terminal or Terminal 3, where you can walk to security without even needing to take the AirTrain to get to security).

Will this make you more likely to take BART to the airport? Let me know in the comments!

SFO is shutting down its main runway for 20 days with significant delays expected

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SFO will be shutting down its main runaway for 20 days beginning on September 7th, prompting United to send out a text offering free ticket changes to San Francisco travelers.

According to the text from United, “Delays of 30 to 45 minutes on average are expected for all flights after 9 a.m., with some flights delayed by up to 2 hours.”

I had no idea about this planned construction but I lucked out (*knocks on wood*), having booked a trip leaving SFO on September 6th. However, now I will definitely expect a delay on my flight home on September 11th.

If you have a choice, try to book through Oakland or San Jose while construction is ongoing. Otherwise, be prepared for an average of a 30-45 minute delay (though, of course, you’ll have to be at the airport waiting just in case you’re on one of the few flights that takes off on time!).

SFO bans the sale of plastic water bottles

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Effective August 20th, San Francisco International Airport will become the first American airport to ban the sale of plastic water bottles. The decision to prohibit the sale of plastic water bottles is related to a San Francisco ordinance banning the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owner property and is part of a broader plan to eliminate carbon emissions, most landfill waste, and increase energy use efficiency.

As a frequent traveler who doesn’t always fly with a refillable water bottle (shame on me!), I’m slightly bummed by this but know it is the right move. I’m happy that it will push me and other travelers to bring our own water bottles.

I wouldn’t be surprised and hope to see other airports implement similar bans in the near future, with my guess that Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Denver and all Hawaii airports being the most likely to follow-through with a similar prohibition.

What do you think of the plastic water ban? Let me now in the comments!

Is it worth upgrading to business class on United’s direct flight between San Francisco and Tahiti?

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As a member, you now get better savings when you book direct.

United recently started direct service between San Francisco, California and Tahiti, French Polynesia (airport code: PPT).

Earlier this month, I took advantage of the flight, and was able to snag an incredible deal for both flight and 4 nights in an over-water bungalow.

I was able to fly economy over and business back, so wanted to share my experiences in case you’re considering taking the same flight, and don’t know whether the upgrade to business class is worth it. (Unfortunately, I lost some of the pictures I took, so you’ll have to rely on my account below!).

The verdict: It depends.

As a lawyer, “it depends” or “maybe” is perhaps my favorite response to any question. But it’s especially true here.

Economy service, particularly is you are in Economy Plus, is decent. The flight is roughly 8 hours each way, which can be difficult for a business class flight — practically speaking, it meant that after dinner service, there was about 3.5 hours to sleep before breakfast service started. While United offers you the opportunity to skip breakfast (you can tell them before you fall asleep), I’ve found that even with an eye mask and ear plus, I can’t sleep through the smell of cooked food.

On the flight over, you’ll leave SFO in the early afternoon and arrive in PPT at around 8pm, which means that you’ll be sleeping soon after you land, anyway. I did this leg in economy, and am glad I did.

On the way back, you’ll leave at night and land in SFO early in the morning, which means you may benefit more from a bed (particularly if you want to go into work the next morning).

I was a little nervous about the 2-2-2 business setup on the business flight, but the new Polaris seats were really comfortable, and I love the Saks Fifth Avenue products. While I haven’t confirmed this, I think the new SFO to PPT route is pretty coveted and that the flight attendants working it were assigned to the routes based on seniority, so you can expect some pretty great service on the flight.

If your only (reasonable) option for flying to Tahiti is on economy, don’t let that deter you. But if you have the means or found a great deal in business, it’s definitely a nice way to treat yo’ self.