West Coast Airport Envy: This SFO-Based Flyer Is Jealous of LAX

It's just not enough that Southern California has better weather and more celebrities than Northern California - now they are getting all the latest and greatest international flight products that the airlines have to offer. I've been noticing this trend through my random award availability searches (yes, for fun I search for award availability during my free time), but as I've been planning a couple recent trips where I actually needed to book flights, this really came to light.

Here's a few examples from a random day next month:

 
Emirates: while both SFO and LAX only have once daily flights, the A380 out of LAX features true lie-flat Business Class seats as well as the shower spa for First Class passengers.

• SFO: 1x service to DXB with a Boeing 77W
• LAX: 1x service to DXB with an Airbus A380

Cathay Pacific: now that the 747's have been retired, both SFO and LAX are only serviced by  Boeing 77Ws. However, LAX has twice as many daily flights, which means twice as many award seats.

• SFO: 2x service to HKG with Boeing 77Ws
• LAX: 4x service to HKG with Boeing 77Ws

Singapore Airlines: SFO actually wins here on quantity, with 2 potential routes to SIN, either connecting through ICN or HKG. Both of those routes are serviced by a 77W on the longhaul sectors. However, LAX gets the nod here from a quality standpoint with the A380 featuring the much-coveted Suites. [Note that it is possible to grab 2 seats on the LAX-NRT-SIN route on the A380 at the Saver level if you book ~11 months in advance].

• SFO: 2x service to SIN with Boeing 77Ws
• LAX: 1x service to SIN with an Airbus A380

 

Korean Air: SFO just has 1 daily 77W, while the LAX route matches that, and raises with 2 Airbus A380s. As easy as Korean Air award space has been to get in the past, I've found that it has become increasingly harder to find. SFO often only has 1 seat in First Class available, while LAX almost always has 2+ seats available on at least one of the flights.

• SFO: 1x service to ICN with a Boeing 77W
• LAX: 3x service to ICN with a Boeing 77W and two Airbus A380s

British Airways: on top of the additional flight, the British Airways A380s feature the newest offering which even features an enhanced tasting menu specific to that route.

• SFO: 2x service to LHR with a Boeing 747s
• LAX: 3x service to LHR with a Boeing 77W and two Airbus A380s

Those are just a few examples that I came across through my recent searches, but I'm sure there are many more.  

Any other SFO-based flyers not feeling the love lately, and would you take an extra connection through LAX for the best product?

Navigate SFO Like An Expert And Get Through Security In Under 5 Minutes

Last evening I drove over to SFO to drop off my wife for her flight, and was reminded of the trick that I use every time I fly out of SFO. Even though I've taught her the trick many times, it's not something that will be top of mind if you're not thinking about it. If fact, you'll need to actively turn off your auto-pilot mode which follows the signs at the airport telling you where to go based on the airline you're flying.

Most people will assume that when flying United you need to go to Terminal 3, and similarly when flying through International Terminal G then that's where you need to head. The airlines serviced out of International Terminal G include:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air New Zealand
• ANA
• Eva Air
• Lufthansa
• SAS 
• Singapore Air
• Swiss
• United

But here's a useful tip: there is an air-side walkway (after you go through security) that connects Terminal 3 and International Terminal G, meaning that you can use them interchangeably. Even if you are flying internationally, since there is no passport control, you can still go through security at Terminal 3 and then simply walk back to the international terminal. In the picture below, I've highlighted with the black arrow where the walkway is located - it's just a 5 minute walk between Terminal G and gate 75, and about 15 minutes to gate 90 at the farthest end of Terminal 3.

There are two security checkpoints at Terminal 3 - one for all passengers at the beginning of the terminal, and one for United elite passengers and those with TSA PreCheck located at the end of the terminal near the land-side walkway that leads to International Terminal G. This tip is most useful for general members flying United, but while most of you probably have elite status and/or PreCheck, it can still be useful since lines at that security checkpoint can be crazy during peak hours or when flying internationally.

Having flown United out of SFO 100+ times in the past few years, here's my suggestion on which security checkpoint to try first, which varies based on the time of day:

• Domestic Terminal 3: 10am-3pm and after 7pm. Most of the peak activity for international flights out of Terminal G are clustered around 12noon and late evenings, and international passengers typically arrive 2-3 hours before departure. For example, for late evening flights to Asia we've arrived at the international security checkpoint to find wait times of 30-45 minutes, exacerbated by the fact that you have leisure passengers and lots of children who take extra time to get through security. At this point, we simply walked over to Terminal 3, went through security in a couple of minutes, and walked back.
• International Terminal G: Before 10am, 3pm-7pm. In terms of frequency, most people fly domestically far more often than internationally, so this will be the trick you use most. Especially on Mondays and Thursdays during peak consultant travel, this can save you a ton of time. Early mornings and early evenings are often a disaster at Terminal 3, so simply walk over to the Internationale Terminal which will be a ghost town, go through security, and walk back.

The advice above is most relevant when getting dropped off at the airport - but here's a tip for those taking BART:

• The BART exit leads into International Terminal G, always start here as there is no need to take the Air Shuttle over to Terminal 3. Check out the security line at the international terminal, and based on time of day walk through the land-side walkway to Terminal 3 if necessary.

Lastly, for those with United Club access, the lounge at Terminal 3 is always overcrowded. Time permitting, I always use the United Club at International Terminal G instead and rarely find it to be more than 50% occupied.

Hopefully these tips can help you save time next time you're flying out of SFO!

Amex Centurion Lounge at SFO Partnering with 3-Michelin Star Chef

American Express has been aggressively expanding its network of Centurion Lounges across the country, with SFO one of the next to open, scheduled for late 2014. There is still a bit of speculation if the lounge will be land-side or air-side, but it will be located above the premium security checkpoint above gate 75 which is near the walkway between Terminal 3/International Terminal. According to its website, access to the lounges is available to "All American Express  Members with a valid American Express Charge or Credit Card". However, while access for Platinum or Centurion card holders is free, there is a $50 charge for other cardholders.

On the topic of food, American Express also recently announced that Chef Christopher Kostow from the Three Michelin Starred The Restaurant at Meadowood will be joining the list of celebrity chefs that are curating and designing menus for the network of Centurion Lounges.



The celebrity chef concept intrigues me - on the one hand, I understand that its mutually beneficial from the marketing and PR perspective to both the chef, and in this case American Express. But in general, I haven't seen these partnerships translate into better food since after all, we're talking about mass-produced food that's served either at an airport or on-board the plane. One notable exception was my recent experience on Cathay Pacific where the "Tosca" menu designed by celebrity chef Pino Lavarra from the Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong was fantastic and among some of the best food I've ever had in the air.

In an interview with Conde Nast, Chef Kostow didn't give away much in terms of what to expect, other than the fact that the food will be "delicious and restorative and awesome." It will be interesting to hear more details on this closer to opening, and look forward to spending some time chowing down in the lounge later this year.

How has the food been at other Centurion Lounges; are the Celebrity Chef partnerships translating into better food?