Travel Tip: Using the SFO Cell Phone Waiting Lot

In my December 30^th post ("A 'No Go' At SFO"), I covered the "Good" (food availability on the "pre-security" side of Terminal 3), the "Bad" (driving from that terminal to the short-term parking garage), and the "Ugly" (the construction-zone mess outside of Terminal 2) which I found at SFO (San Francisco International Airport) when I dropped off a friend to catch a flight to Los Angeles. Here's what I learned about using the SFO Cell Phone Waiting Lot when I picked up that friend today after her return flight from Southern California.

Since no parking outside of the Baggage Claim areas is permitted, you have three choices when you arrive at the airport to pick up arriving passengers: 1) Park in the short-term parking garage ($2/every 20 minutes) across from the terminal building, and either wait for your party there, or at the Baggage Claim area inside the terminal; 2) continue to circle the terminal area in your car until you spot your party outside of the Baggage Claim area or receive a call from them on your cell phone (using a hands-free gizmo to avoid breaking California's "Use A Phone While Driving, Go To Jail" law) telling you that they are waiting at the curb to be picked up; 3) park in the Cell Phone Waiting Lot (about a five minute drive from the terminals) until your party calls to tell you to fetch them.

The SFO Cell Phone Waiting Lot is located north of the airport terminals near the Long-Term Parking area. If (as I did today) you dropped off someone at the terminal Baggage Claim area to "meet and greet" a passenger arriving at SFO while you drove off to park and wait, follow the signs for "Long-Term Parking" leading you back onto Highway 101 north-bound toward San Francisco, take the clearly-marked exit for San Bruno Avenue, and follow the little blue signs to reach the cell phone lot. (If you are headed directly from home or work to the cell phone lot and won't be stopping first at one of the airport terminals, click here for driving directions posted on the SFO Web site). Once the call comes in telling you that your party is ready to be picked up, you'll drive back toward the freeway and head south on the road leading you into SFO.

There's nothing fancy about the relatively small, first-come, first-served, free Cell Phone Waiting Lot which is simply a "cordoned-off" part of a larger parking lot. A small glass-enclosed shelter at the entrance to the lot has a touch-screen display showing flight arrival and departure information and a soft-drink/water vending machine (if you want something else to drink or food to eat, bring it with you in your car). There are no restrooms in this shelter, but a few portable toilets are located a short distance away. You may only wait in this lot for up to 60 minutes and must stay with your vehicle. The lot is closed from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. If you have a "Smartphone", you can use your cell phone carrier's data network to surf the Web or check your e-mail while you're waiting. (My iPhone didn't detect a Wi-Fi network in this area).

What could be better than using the SFO Cell Phone Lot to pick up friends, family, or business associates arriving by plane at SFO? Have them take a cab, shuttle, airporter bus, or the SFO Air Train and BART to reach you, so you don't have to drive out to SFO.