Mumbai05 Sep 24 1 Traveller Economy
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About San Francisco
Located on the coast of Northern California is the culturally rich city of San Francisco. The city has been christened with an array of colloquial names such as SF, The City, San Fran and Frisco. The city is a cultural haven and also the commercial and financial hub of Northern California. With attractions such as Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Golden Gate Bridge, the city of San Francisco is one of the best in the United States as a tourist destination.
Best time to visit San Francisco
March through May can be quite the time to visit San Francisco if you wish to avoid the tourist rush. The temperatures are quite comfortable as they range between 10 degree Celsius to 17 degree Celsius. With the temperatures slowly inching towards summer, it is definitely an excellent time to visit San Francisco. This doesn't mean you will get to take a dip in the Pacific. However, you can still take lovely strolls within the city and savour all the beautiful locales of San Francisco. Plus, these months come with exciting festivals such as San Francisco International Film Festival, Carnaval San Francisco, Bay to Breakers, International Beer Festival and St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival.
Summers start from June through August. Tourism is at its peak with many folks flocking over to the city from various parts of the country and worldwide. The summer temperatures range from 11 degree Celsius to 20 degree Celsius. It is perfect to put on your swimming trunks and head straight to the ocean. The hotel rates do get high in San Francisco as it is peak season. For budget-travellers, this might not be the best time to visit the port city. To ensure that you do find a decent accommodation, you can make prior hotel bookings in San Francisco and let the rest follow. Even the flight tickets to San Francisco sees a surge. Not to mention how the city beams with joy to be entertained by a bevy of festivals such as North Beach Festival, Outside Land Music Festival, San Francisco Pride and more.
Fall is undoubtedly the perfect time to visit if you want to enjoy the warm temperatures and to get a good flight and hotel deals in San Francisco. The fall is warmer than summer, and the temperature is comfortably ranging from 12 degree Celsius to 21 degree Celsius. The sunny skies do feel good on the skin, and the brisk breeze is perfect to have a good time. Plus, the flight tickets and hotel bookings in San Francisco are also cheap and easy on the pockets. You will thoroughly have a good time during your trip to the city. Not to mention how there are some festivals too hosted by the city such as the San Francisco Fringe Festival, Castro Street Fair and Treasure Island Music Festival. You will have to pack your clothes that fit the weather's features. A little layer in terms of clothing would do you good. Try to avoid winters in San Francisco. Even though the hotel prices in San Francisco are cheap, the weather might be unfavourable for tourist activities.
Places to see in San Francisco
San Francisco might be a small city in terms of area, but with the packed tourist attractions, food and living culture and much more, it's tourism easily skyrockets. The assortment of outdoor activities that the city has to offer is mind-blowing. The first thing for you to do in San Francisco as part of your tourist endeavour would be to visit the Golden Gate Bridge. The legendary bridge cannot be missed for the view it offers as it faces the San Francisco Bay. The structure was originally constructed to bridge the gap between San Francisco and Marin County. Of course, Alcatraz Island is also a trip that you shouldn't miss. You will need to take a ferry ride to reach the island of Alcatraz, known for its reputation as a federal prison which housed some of the biggest offenders in the US history. They also had mob boss Al Capone in custody at Alcatraz.
Fisherman's Wharf is another lovely place that would be a fun expedition. The pier is often crowded with tourists as it has a slew of interesting attractions such as San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park as well as the Maritime Museum. More places that should be on your list include Lands End, Muir Woods National Monument, Ferry Building Marketplace, The Castro, Yerba Buena Gardens and more.
Things to do in San Francisco
The best part about a trip to San Francisco is the covey of cool activities that can be undertaken. Right from climbing the popular Twin Peaks to riding the cable cars, you have a lot of interesting things you can take up. In fact, divulging in their food culture would be the best of things to do when in San Francisco.
Food and Restaurants in San Francisco
San Francisco's casual lifestyle brings forth a lovely melange of cuisines and flavours that range from budget to upscale. Thanks to the perfect balance of cuisines and Michelin-starred food establishments, the city has easily turned into one of the best food destinations of the US. It is easily one of the most recognised cities in the country with exquisite food. There are quaint coffee shops, steakhouses, Italian trattorias and of course, Chinatown too. You name a cuisine, and San Francisco has it for you. Their commitment towards encouraging diversity in international cuisine is what makes their food culture so popular. You will be surprised to know that the Bay Area alone has over 50 farmers market experiences in store for you. You should definitely visit the farm-to-table styled food establishment called Chez Panisse. The place brings out flavours with fresh ingredients that would certainly go down well with your system. You should also check out the Ferry Building Marketplace. There are many culinary treats that you will be able to find here.
It will take you more than one trip to San Francisco to cover up all the food establishments in the city. Some of the classics include Boudin's, which has clam chowder as its big seller. You should also visit Tartine Bakery to relish some sweet treats. Speaking of the same, you should also check out Bi-Rite Creamery. The ice cream parlour manages to bring forth some exquisite sweet flavours in a cup with sprinklers and other fun toppings. Golden Gate Bakery is another good establishment for sweet and savoury food. They are known for their egg tarts in the city. Geoff of Ichido is also a good place where you can indulge in some Japanese and Asian seafood. Know that the city is on the Pacific coast and hence, has seafood as its top big seller. At the cafe De Casa, you can revel in some exquisite Brazillian cuisine. At Tacorea, you can find a good array of Mexican dishes. As stated, the city has an array of international cuisine, including Greek and Mediterranean. You can actually find this at the Kokkari Estiatorio. Of course, do not miss their breweries and roasteries at Anchor Brewing Company and Philz Coffee respectively.
How to reach San Francisco (Transportation)
San Francisco has brilliant flight connectivity. In fact, the city does see a lot of demand from Indians as it does have some of the finest universities, including UC Berkeley. Flight connectivity to San Francisco from major Indian metropolitan cities is immaculate. Although there are no direct flights to San Francisco from India, they usually have layovers in international cities. Airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, Swiss, to name a few, have dedicated flights flying to San Francisco. The most popular route chosen to fly to San Francisco from India is from cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong. In fact, Cathay Pacific is the most popular airline to take this international route to San Francisco. The flight is perfectly connected to San Francisco and reaches the city in close to 21 hours. Singapore Airlines also has excellent connectivity and stops at Singapore to reach San Francisco. For this route though, you will need a transit visa.
With Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, you wouldn't have to worry about changing flights in international cities. In fact, the flight simply has layovers in these cities before reaching the destination. Other airlines mentioned also have flights that directly connect to San Francisco with layovers in their respective cities. The flight tickets to San Francisco are quite reasonable. If you do make prior flight bookings to San Francisco, you might be able to get some discounts. There are innumerable online flight deals to San Francisco that you might be able to avail. Depending on the airlines you choose, the ticket price to San Francisco might vary. It would be best to book your flight and hotels in advance. Often it is recommended that you book your flight and hotels in San Francisco together. When you combine the two bookings, you might be in for some fantastic online deals. Even airlines have their own flight deals to San Francisco that you can avail.
About Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines, which was earlier called Seoul Airlines, is South Korea's second-largest airline after Korean Air. The headquarters for Asiana is at Asiana Town building which is in Seoul. The airline was established in 1988, and it aimed at providing maximum safety and customer satisfaction. The airline is known for providing the best service, and it can carry passengers as well as cargo. It is a member of the Star Alliance, and it operates 90 international passenger routes and about 14 domestic routes. It is well-connected to Europe, Asia, Oceania and North America. The airline currently has about 87 aircraft in service. Most of the airline's pilots, flight attendants, ground staff and other employees are based in Seoul. Asiana Airlines carved a name for itself in the industry. The airlines also focused on creating an environment-friendly company in the mid-1990s and completely banned in-flight smoking and cigarettes sales in 1995. It also got recognized for the same in 2001. The South Korean Ministry of Environment appreciated Asiana Airlines for being the first 'environmentally friendly company within the service industry'. It was also appreciated by the government for a lot of things like an emissions measurement and reduction system, working on ground facilities that would help reduce pollution and for partnering with the Rainforest Alliance for the coffee that was served on board.
However, the parent company, Kumho Asiana Group, revealed its plan on selling the airlines to make up for its financial loss in 2019. Asiana Airlines served countries and cities on four continents only, People's Republic of China, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Japan. Asiana also launched Air Seoul, which was a second-subsidiary, low-cost carrier, so some of their loss could be transferred. While there have been several buyers from the aviation industry who have been interested in buying the airlines, no deal has been struck so far. A few services have been suspended though. The airlines decided to sell it as Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 767-300 to reduce the debt considerably.
Fleet size of Asiana Airlines
As of 2020, Asiana Airlines' fleet size stands at 87 aircraft. The airline holds a mixed fleet which comprises aircraft from both, the Airbus and Boeing family. Presently, the airline has seven Airbus A320-200, two Airbus A321-100, 15 Airbus A321-200, one Airbus A321neo, 15 Airbus A330-300, 12 Airbus A350-900, six Airbus A380-800, one Boeing 747-400, six Boeing 767-300 and nine Boeing 777-200ER. O9ut of these, the airline has already placed orders to acquire a few more aircraft and expand its fleet. Asiana Airlines is expected to receive 24 Airbus A321neo, none Airbus A350-900 and nine of Airbus A350-1000. Before this new fleet, the airline had everything, Boeing. Some of the aircraft included Boeing 737-400, Boeing 737-500, Boeing 747-400M and Boeing 767-300ER.
Baggage Allowance
The baggage allowance rules as levied by Asiana Airlines differ from the routes chosen by the passengers. For passengers who are travelling by the US Route are allowed to carry a weight of about 32 kg and 23 kg for business class and economy class respectively. Both the class cabin passengers are allowed to carry two pieces of baggage along with them. However, this is only restricted to passengers taking the US route. For passengers who are not travelling by the US Route, the baggage allowance is tweaked. Passengers travelling from business class can carry weight up to 32 kg while the economy class passengers can carry a weight that shouldn't exceed 23 kg. Business-class passengers can carry up to two pieces of baggage for check-in while economy class passengers are only allowed to carry one baggage for check-in. In case the traveller is with an infant's additional baggage allowance can be arranged. The airline will accommodate a bag that cannot exceed 10 kg of weight. Passengers can also carry bassinet, strollers or baby walkers onboard. The passenger must ensure the baggage dimension does not exceed 158 cm for all pieces of checked baggage.
For carry-on baggage, the airline allows a weight of 10 kg and not more than that. The sum of the bag's dimension should be 115 cm. This should include the wheels, handles and anything hanging. The maximum length of every side of the baggage can go up to 55 cm X 20 cm X 40 cm.
In-flight services
Asiana Airlines was one of the only airlines that came up with a lot of sub-classes for its passengers. First Suite Class, First Class, Business Smartium Class, Business Class and Travel class, which is basically economy). The in-flight services provided to you depend on your seat configurations. The First Suit class can be experienced on A30-800, which connects with international routes like Los Angeles, New York City, Frankfurt and Sydney. The passengers travelling by first class are distinguished by their pyjamas, and some can only receive a lot of other comfortable amenities. While the tiny TV is installed in front of every passenger's seat, only the ones in as much high class have access actually to play something on it. The one at the travel class does not play.
The airline, however, does give you two in-flight magazines about travel and entertainment called Asiana and Asiana Entertainment. Travel class passengers and flights that have a total journey of an hour or less do not get to avail any of these facilities. The airline also has a frequent-flyer program for everyone who uses the airlines regularly. It's called the Asiana Club, and it has five tiers, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Diamond Plus and Platinum. Of course, the privileged ones get better service, but the airlines also make sure that none of their customers leaves upset or with complaints. A certain number of earned points can also make you eligible for a free flight ticket or get an upgrade on the seats while you check-in at the counter. You might even get food coupons after accumulating a certain number of points,
Popular routes and top cities for Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines caters to about four continents with destinations spread across all corners. Although Asiana Airlines' network in its continent is quite strong, over the years, it has managed to acquire more destinations further to expand its reach. In fact, Asiana Airlines now serves as a slew of a gateway to many cities in Europe and North America. The airline boasts strong domestic route connectivity that connects the hub Seoul, to various other parts of the country. Some of the cities include Busan, Jeju, Mokpo, Ulsan, Gwangju and more. Operations of a few of these cities have been suspended temporarily. Not just domestic, the airline also has perfect international route connectivity. Some of the top Western and international destinations include Some of the top cities for Asiana Airlines include Changchun, Brussels, Sydney, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xuzhou, Tanji, Paris, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Rome, Venice, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Almaty, Saipan, Cebu, Manila, Moscow, Singapore, Seoul, Pohang, Taipei, Phuket, Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Seattle, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc, to name a few.
Asiana Airlines currently has a codeshare agreement with a handful of airlines such as Air Astana, China Southern Airlines, Qantas, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Croatia Airlines, Etihad Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Austrian Airlines, Air New Zealand, Air Seoul, All Nippon Airways, South African Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and more.
Why travel by Asiana Airlines?
Ever since entering the aviation industry, Asiana Airlines has been consistently working towards acquiring the top position as one of the best Korean airlines. While it still has a tough competition with Korean Air, the national carrier of South Korea, Asiana Airlines does stand a chance to be at the top as it is the second-largest airline in the country. The airline has made booking available online. Passengers can book an Asiana Airlines flight from their website and even avail other perks such as easy web check-in, updates on flight status and Asiana Airlines' flight schedules.
About San Francisco Airport
San Francisco International Airport is located in the San Mateo County of California. It is 21 km away from downtown San Francisco and is located close to San Bruno. The international airport is one of the major getaways for airlines connecting Europe and Asia. After Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport is the second busiest airport in California. The airport is also recognised to be the largest in the Bay Area. It stands at the 24th level on the global list of busiest airports. San Francisco International Airport is also the fifth-largest hub for United Airlines. It operates as a transpacific getaway to the country. The second big airlines that it serves base to is Alaska Airlines. Much recently, the airport started serving Virgin America airlines as the base for operations. The airport has four runways made of asphalt and is arranged in parallel intersections. It has been recorded that SFO witnesses about 1,287 flight operations in a day with approximately 470,164 taking place in a year.
About Airport Terminals
San Francisco International Airport has four functioning terminals namely, 1, 2, 3 and international. These are followed by seven concourses of boarding areas and has 115 gates in total. Terminal 1 caters to boarding areas arranged in alphabetical orders of B and D. Terminal 2 accommodates boarding area D and Terminal 3 takes care of boarding areas E and F. This terminal also handles operations of domestic flights. Meanwhile, the international terminal has boarding A and G with the majority of international flight operations along with a handful of domestic flights. Terminal 1 is also referred to as Harvey Milk Terminal 1 which works predominantly for domestic flight operations. Terminal 2 also caters to domestic flights and hosts airlines such as Virgin America and American Airlines. Terminal 2 has been constructed to cater to sustainability. It is considered to be eco-friendly with respect to paper ticketing and parking bays. Level 2 is reserved for domestic boarding and is in area D. Terminal 3 is also domestic but is directly connected to the International Terminal. It has exclusive functions of inbound and outbound flights by United Airlines and flies within the US. International Terminal is divided into level 2 for arrival and baggage claim and level 3 for departures. Level 2 also has check-in and boarding area.
About Airport Authority
Despite its location in the San Mateo County, San Francisco International Airport is owned and managed by the City and County of San Francisco. The airport is an enterprise that falls under the wing of City and County of San Francisco which strives to bring about a safe and secure travel expedition. The management is responsible for the expansion and infrastructural design and development of San Francisco International Airport. The airport authority recently announced plans to switch to sustainable fuels and have already signed agreements with agencies, fuel suppliers and airlines to enable the same. Following the same, the agreement brought together Shell and NkyNGR to supply sustainable fuels for aviation to KLM, Finnair and SAS flights that operate out of San Francisco International Airport. The airport's body has also been working on enhancing the runway structures' sturdiness as well as that of the terminals and buildings to withstand natural calamities, following an earthquake that took place in the county. Plans to expand Terminal 1 is also being conducted and is scheduled to complete by 2024.
Top airlines flying from San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport has only one Indian airline that operates from the city, Air India. Besides this, the rest of the airlines that operate from the airport are mostly international airlines. The airlines are well-connected to Europe and Asian continents. The domestic connectivity of SFO Airport is also quite good as it reaches almost all cities of the United States. The international airlines operating from San Francisco International Airport are Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, Alitalia, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. The airport also accommodates a decent number of cargo planes to operate from the vicinity. Carriers such as Asiana Cargo, DHL Aviation, FedEx Express, Korean Air Cargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines are some of the few prominent ones.
Facilities at the San Francisco International Airport
Airport Butler - Airport Butler is a customised concierge service that is available at the airport. You can avail these services as they include assistance with respect to check-in, personal shopping, translations for non-English speaking travellers, lounge reservations, business services and more. You can make prior bookings and customise the necessities that you might need.
In-transit hotel - The airport actually has a luxury hotel present in the proximity of the airport's terminals. With the views of the Bay, the rooms at SFO's Grand Hyatt are beautiful and accessible. You can take the AirTrain to reach the hotel from the airport. The features of the hotel cater to upscaled hospitality.
Medical services - There are dedicated pharmacies and medical rooms at the San Francisco International Airport. The medical rooms with professionals are stationed for emergency cases that would happen at the terminals. You can also make last-minute medical purchases at the airport pharmacy.
Pets and service animals - Travellers who are travelling with pets can avail some services as well. There are reserved areas where the pet can do their business. There are some experts at the airport too who can help you with your pet.
Spas and showers - There is accommodation for luxury services such as spas and showers. You might have to pay some nominal fee before you can get hold of the services. You can use the showers to refresh yourself if you need to go for a professional meeting. There are spas too where you can get a good massage.
A travel agency - There are specific travel agency booths that are present at the San Francisco International Airport. In case there are any last-minute bookings that you need to make, you can directly head to the airport. You can get your complete travel itinerary sorted along with accommodation bookings.
Yoga Room - San Francisco International Airport is the first airport in the world to have a Yoga Room. The room is located in terminal 2, and you can indulge in yoga while you wait for the connecting flight or for the layover period to be over.
SFO museum - The San Francisco International Airport has a museum and a few galleries installed for travellers' entertainment. There are public art, photography exhibits, student art and video arts that can be found at the San Francisco Museum.
AMTs and currency exchange - The airport has ATM kiosks located at convenient spots. The terminals also have a foreign exchange booth at the departure zones and arrivals. It would be very convenient for international travellers.
Airport lounges – The airport also caters to a slew of lounges located at various departure zones of all the terminals. There are first-class and business-class lounges for travellers holding the respective flight tickets. The airport also has a VIP lounge, meeting rooms and other spaces where one can avail luxury services and hospitality.
WiFi and internet – The airport provides free WiFi services for travellers. You can visit the information desk to get more details on how you can procure the service. Not to mention how the airport also has internet cafes where you can get your work done.
How to reach San Francisco International Airport
Bus
SamTrans, a transit agency of San Mateo County, has dedicated buses that connect to the San Francisco International Airport. You will have to check out their schedules and the routes to know which ones would reach you to the SFO Airport. They can be accessed from the arrivals or baggage counter of the airport.
Car and rentals
The airport sees good connectivity by road, and you can always use rentals or taxis to reach the San Francisco International Airport. You can actually find booths and counters to book transport from the airport itself. Apps such as Lyft and Uber are also available and would be perfect to use when at the airport terminal's arrival section. If you are driving down to SFO Airport, you should opt for the short freeway that links the US 101 with Interstate 280. As the airport is on the US Route 101, this is the most favourable route to reach the San Francisco International Airport. The airport also has short term and long term parking facilities available, in case you plan to do on a day tour.
Ferry
A favourable way to reach the San Francisco International Airport is to take the ferry. From the San Francisco Bay, there are ferry services that go to Oakland and Alameda. You can reach the ferry by taking SFO Airport's shuttle bus services. This can be found at the South San Francisco Ferry Terminal.
