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Nothing makes hurried passengers stop and smile quite like bumping into a bright, beautiful work of art on their way through the terminals (except for maybe our therapy dogs but that’s a high bar). Don’t miss our two new San Diego themed murals by local artist Sarah Tate next time you’re at SAN.

Whether you want to fly down the slopes of Marmot Basin or fly away to London for high tea this winter, we have good news. A few of our most popular international flights have returned, including service to Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Japan. Here’s what you need to know about international flights from SAN.

San Diego International Airport (SAN) is located in the middle of a bustling downtown area making it in proximity to many homes and businesses. Locals around the airport often refer to a brief pause taken when outside as the “Point Loma pause,” due to aircraft departing or approaching the airport causing loud aircraft noise to fill the air.

San Diego International Airport (SAN) under the ownership of San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) is recognized as a leader in environmental and sustainable practices. The Airport Authority instituted one of the first sustainability policies for a major airport in the U.S. 

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) has released our 2020-2021 Sustainability Report which can be viewed at sustain.san.org. The Sustainability Report serves as a useful barometer for San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) relationship to the environment, the traveling public, its stakeholders, and the greater San Diego community.

San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) Arts Program is happy to unveil of the Make Yourself at Home exhibition located throughout Terminal 2 pre-and-post security.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority cares about the environment and our community. That’s why we partner with I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) to participate and encourage participation in their clean-up days. This year, Coastal Cleanup Day is September 18, and the Airport Authority is rallying employees, partners, and the community to join our cleanup group! 

Ground support equipment, or GSE, is used to serve aircraft between flights. If you’ve ever looked out the plane window while the plane is still parked at the gate, you’ve seen GSE methodically moving around the tarmac and plane, facilitating various services like cargo and passenger baggage loading and unloading, and pushing the airplane back from the gate. GSE is a very important part of airport and airline operations as it helps ensure everything that is needed to get the plane back in the sky is accomplished in a safe and timely manner.  

O, Canada, “The Great White North.” Spanning 3.86 million square miles, our neighbor to the north is home to amazing sights, sounds, sports, food, and people. If you’ve ever enjoyed maple syrup, it likely came from Canada as they produce more than half of the world’s supply of it. Canada has some of the best locations to view the Northern Lights depending on the season. And sports, well ice hockey keeps Canadians busy all year long.

You may be familiar with the term “zero waste,” but have you heard of “low waste” before? Living a low waste lifestyle means lowering your environmental impact by reducing the amount of waste you produce. While “zero waste” is a specific industry term that requires a 90 percent diversion rate (making sure that 90 percent of the material you no longer need goes to reuse, recycling, or compost instead of to landfill), low waste takes a more flexible, spectrum approach.

If this weather is any indication, summer is officially here. The SAN Airport Planning & Environmental team has some sustainable summer habits for you to try.

For anyone who has made the grueling drive from San Diego to Santa Barbara, you’ll understand when I say going through Los Angeles traffic, no matter what time of day, is umm…horrible. Lucky for us, Alaska Airlines begins daily nonstop service to Santa Barbara via Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) from San Diego International Airport (SAN) today! 

June 15, 2021. It might not be a day that lives in infamy but, it is certainly a day that Californians have been waiting for since Governor Gavin Newsom announced that was the target reopening date. California’s reopening means the tiered restrictions that were in place will be removed in many settings and life will closely resemble what it was like pre-COVID-19. However, at San Diego International Airport (SAN) it’s still business as usual and we still have to abide by a few federally mandated rules. If you are traveling anytime in the future, these are the guidelines still in place while on airport property:

If you’ve ever arrived at SAN and asked for directions to our ground transportation or rental car center, you’ve probably talked to one of our friendly Volunteer Airport Ambassadors.

If you are planning a get-a-way, we want to tell you that it’s getting busier at the airport

Here at SAN, we think it’s pretty special that the California Least Tern, an endangered migratory seabird, nest here every year. The California Least Tern is listed under both the federal and California State Endangered Species Act since 1972. 

After being told for more than a year to stay home and only associate with those in your household, it’s no wonder people are eager to travel. With vaccines being administered to thousands of people a day, we are finally on our way to recovery. 

Happy National Bike Month! Biking is a viable, fun, and healthy transportation choice that gets you out of a car and provides an opportunity to be active. This month, challenge yourself to hop on a bike and get GOing.

While the airline’s focus over the past year has undoubtedly been on safety, it has found small ways to make a big impact on the travel experience. 

Picking up passengers at the San Diego International Airport? Avoid driving in circles and park in the airport’s Cell Phone Lot free of charge. Beginning Saturday, May 8, this temporary way-station will reopen and offer approximately 100 parking spaces for drivers to park and wait for arriving passengers. The airport Cell Phone Lot closed in April 2020 when state and county health and safety orders increased and passenger volumes decreased with the spread of COVID-19.

For the past 16 years, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has sponsored and participated in I Love a Clean San Diego’s (ILACSD) Creek to Bay Cleanup. If you aren’t familiar with ILACSD, their mission is to lead and inspire the community to actively conserve and enhance the environment through example, outreach, and local involvement. Their vision is a zero waste, litter-free, and environmentally engaged San Diego region. These ideals go hand in hand with the Airport Authority’s, as well as many of our dedicated employees and each year, several Airport Authority employees participate in the effort.

The Airport Traffic Officers’ job is far more than simply directing traffic. They are often the first point of contact at the airport.

In July 2017, San Diego International Airport (SAN) introduced our SAN Green Concessions program which rewards and recognizes airport concessionaires that help reduce water and energy use, minimize waste, and educate their staff and consumers on what green business is all about.

Just in time for spring break, Alaska Airlines began its first nonstop flight between Missoula, Mont. via Missoula International Airport (MSO) and SAN today. This is the first time SAN will have daily, nonstop service to Missoula.

Whether you’re looking for a quick bite, sit-down meal, travel essentials, or local gifts, many of our shops and restaurants are open and ready to serve you. 

It’s bound to happen. You pack your bags, check it twice, but somewhere between your home and final destination, you lost a thing or two. Could be something small or something large, but somehow it just disappeared.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, which operates San Diego International Airport (SAN), is governed by a nine-member Board whose members are appointed by elected officials representing all areas of San Diego County. This year, we are welcoming a new Board Chair and four new Board members who are replacing members whose three-year terms have ended. With the new appointments, the Airport Authority Board is now comprised of regional leaders including five women and four men.

New nonstop routes are always exciting but, what we love even more is gaining new nonstop routes to cities that aren’t currently available from SAN. So when Allegiant recently announced that SAN will gain seasonal nonstop service to five new cities as soon as May…well, let’s just say we are jumping for joy.

SAN is known and loved for a few special attributes, like its abundance of natural light, relaxed atmosphere, and diverse mix of shops and restaurants. But SAN also has some unusual features that may surprise you.

Konnichiwa! We are excited that Japan Airlines has announced they will resume nonstop service to Tokyo, Japan via Narita International Airport (NRT) from San Diego International Airport (SAN) three times a week. The first arrival into San Diego will be on March 2 and the first departure from San Diego on March 3.

What is normally a busy travel time, this December is looking quite different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 13, 2020, the California Department of Public Health issued a travel advisory for non-essential travel (side note: what’s essential vs. non-essential travel you ask? Click here to learn more) which requests that persons arriving in California from other states or countries should practice self-quarantining for 14 days after arrival. In addition, Californians are encouraged to stay home or in their region and avoid non-essential travel to other states or countries.

Oh, how we miss the excitement of holiday travel! December is typically a very busy month for our airport, when the terminals are filled with passengers eager to visit friends and family all over the world. This year many of us are staying home and finding creative ways to stay connected to the people and places that matter most.

Every year we work on compiling a Sustainability Report which re-affirms our commitment to continuous improvement and transparency in social, economic, and environmental performance. We have released our 2019-2020 Sustainability Report which can be viewed at sustain.san.org.

During the pandemic, there has been a great deal of emphasis on air circulation and its relation to COVID-19. All HVAC systems at San Diego International Airport (SAN) were designed to meet American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards for ventilation for indoor air quality. Our systems meet or exceed industry filtration standards, meaning we filter the air at a recommended level between “Superior Commercial Buildings” and “Hospital Inpatient Care.” Additionally, 60 percent of air handlers installed in the airport contain ultraviolet light which provides extra protection to kill bacteria and viruses.

In 2015, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) launched The Good Traveler program at San Diego International Airport (SAN) to provide an easy, affordable, and meaningful way for interested passengers to make their travel more sustainable. Through the program, individuals can purchase carbon offsets online, at select terminal concessions, and through the airport parking reservation and payment system with proceeds going toward conservation projects that help counteract the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Since launching five years ago, the program now includes 17 participating airports in North America that have collectively offset nearly 670 million miles of travel.

Here at San Diego International Airport (SAN), there are certain destinations that we would love to include on our nonstop destination list. Those routes are ones that we don’t currently offer and would allow for our community to access locations without having to connect or fly from regional hubs. Cancún, Mexico is one of those routes. Our air service team has been trying to get service to Cancún for quite some time (a couple of years at least, but hey, who’s counting) and Alaska Airlines finally came through for the win when they announced they would begin seasonal service on November 20.

For those who will be traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday, here are some tips to ensure you have a safe and seamless journey...