San Diego International Airport: Difference between revisions

San Diego International Airport is the primary commercial airport for San Diego County. No airline maintains a hub there, and Southwest Airlines is the dominant carrier, followed closely by Alaska Airlines. The vast majority of scheduled flights are to points within North America including the Hawaiian Islands. In terms of international service, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge, and WestJet operate to respective destinations that include Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary with Air Transat soon to be starting flights to Montreal. Swoop was supposed to begin service to Abbotsford and Edmonton, however, the grounding of the 737 MAX has affected previous plans to begin both flights in October 2019 so they have pushed back start-up to Summer 2020. Alaska, Southwest, and Sun Country (seasonally) operate the airport's only flights to Mexico: Puerto Vallarta (AS/WN) and San Jose Del Cabo (AS/SY/WN). British Airways, Japan Airlines, and Lufthansa provide intercontinental wide-body service with flights to London-Heathrow, Tokyo-Narita, and Frankfurt, respectively. Edelweiss provides seasonal wide-body service to Zurich during the summer. 

[[Image:Nw320san-375nc.jpg|left|thumb|Northwest A320 on final approach to 27, photographed from the Harbor & Laurel lot at street level]]

''It was noted in December 2023 that this spot appeared to be closed as part of New Terminal 1 construction; it is unknown it if will reopen in the future.''

 

The airport has a small free parking lot at the intersection of Harbor Dr. and Laurel St. for spotting.  From here you will see aircraft arriving and departing on runway 27.  You will need a ladder or tall vehicle to get camera lenses above the fence line for departure and taxi shots, though this may still be difficult as there is a second fence separating the shuttle bus access road from the ramp. However, you can photograph arrivals from street level with a long enough lens but you won't be able to get the "classic San Diego shot" with Mission Hills in the background nor the touchdown. Posted signs prohibit unattended vehicles. Avoid the adjacent Solar Turbines parking lot, but the sidewalk along Laurel St. should be okay.  Lighting is best in the early afternoon, before 6:00, during summer.  In the winter, light is typically good all day, though you may need to vary the angle of your shot as the sun moves across the sky.  If you need a snack or drink, there is a convenience store at the Shell gas station located at the intersection of Laurel and Pacific Hwy (about a 5-10 minute walk).

 

32.7283,-117.1791~Laurel and Harbor Lot;

*'''Air Canada''': A220-300

**Winter Season: Once daily, A350-1000

**Summer Season: Twice daily, 777-300ER and 787-8

*'''Copa Airlines''': 737 MAX 9 ''(begins June 25, 2025)''

*'''Frontier Airlines''': A319-100, A320-200, A320neo, A321-200, A321neo

*'''Sun Country Airlines''': 737-700, 737-800

*'''United Airlines''': 737-700, 737-800, 737-900ER, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9, 777-200ER, A319-100, A320-200

*'''FedEx Express''': FedEx is the largest cargo carrier at SAN, with the longtime regular A300 and MD-10 flights largely replaced by the 757 and 767. Three flights usually arrive in the very early morning, before 6:00AM, and normally have all departed by 8:00AM. A second set of two flights typically arrives between 4:00PM and 6:30PM.  These usually depart again between 7:00PM and 8:30PM.  One of the Friday afternoon flights, typically arriving at approximately 5:00PM and departing after dark, and one of the Saturday morning flights, typically arriving at 5:30AM and departing between 7:00AM & 8:00PM, are usually operated by 767equipment. MD-11's are still somewhat rare, but made some appearances during the 2015 Christmas season. The 757 only operates at in the early morning and at night, so they are a bit hard to photograph.  

**'''FedEx Feeder (Westair)''': A series of Cessna 208B Cargomaster flights arrive between 6:00PM and 7:00PM from El Centro supplying cargo for the larger FedEx aircraft flying out of SAN. They depart usually in the morning around 6:30AM to 9:00AM

There is a [http://www.san.org/sdia/parking/cell-phone_lot.aspx "cell phone" parking lot] which offers up to one hour free parking for visitors waiting to pick up a passenger from an arriving flight, adjacent to the SAN Park Harbor Drive long term parking lot. Unlike the previous cell phone lot, it does offer views of the airport, however it is still not optimal for spotting as the paid long term parking lot is between this area and the taxiways. The cell phone lot has a couple of portable toilets and vending machines, along with monitors showing arriving flight information. However, if you're looking for video, this is the place to be (it will be even better if you bring a latter or stand on your car to fully see the touchdown as the spot is located abeam the threshold).  

San Diego Metropolitan Transit Service bus [https://www.sdmts.com/getting-around/departures-and-schedules/schedules/992 Route 992], provides service to the airport terminals.  The lines originate in downtown San Diego, with several stops including one near the official observation lot at Laurel and Harbor.  Connections to these routes can be made at various locations in downtown San Diego to other bus routes as well as the [https://www.sdmts.com/transit-services/trolley San Diego Trolley], [https://gonctd.com/services/coaster-commuter-rail/ Coaster], and [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/pacific-surfliner-train.html Amtrak Pacific Surfliner] trains. Cash is accepted on board for a single ride, as well as can be purchased from a Pronto kiosk located near baggage claim in the terminals, however transit users may instead wish to use the Pronto app on their phones or purchase a Pronto card from the kiosk, since Pronto fares include free transfers within 2 hours as well as daily and monthly fare caps. The 992 bus stops at MTS bus shelters located curbside directly outside the terminals.