Traveling to California by Air
The Golden State is one of the most “magnetic” travel places in the USA. It tops many charts: the richest, the sunniest, the busiest and so on. No wonder it has an overwhelming yearly number of 235 mln air passengers, constantly increasing.
However, California boasts an efficient airport and general infrastructure to handle such a flow. The state offers over 850 airports, out of which 11 bear the international status. Almost all world’s major airlines provide the direct or connection flights to California (traveler tip, connection flights are usually cheaper). Below are the airports chosen by 468,000 people daily as their California destination.
What California Airports are Rated as the Busiest?
The top three California’s most visited air gates are all located along the coast and account for 58% of the total air passenger traffic of the state. More than 160 mln people travel yearly through these airports that are constantly developing their facilities and infrastructure.
- Los Angeles International Airport. Handling a large flow of 87 mln passengers yearly, the airport takes the place of the second most visited in the USA. The LAX departures and arrivals make over 500,000 per year granting the airport the fourth position in the world. Nine terminals of the LAX are shaped as a horseshoe and have a developed connection system including shuttle buses, underground and ground pathways, large parking lots. Six airlines (among them American Airlines and Delta) have LAX as their hub port, and the Quantas has its own technical facility within. There are four large runways serving daily about 1.500 aircraft. Schedule of Los Angeles International Airport flight departures and arrivals makes one of the top web requests, with 230,000 people landing or taking off the airport runway daily.
- San Francisco International Airport. The cramped runway location (the lines go perpendicular, with a short space between the parallel ones) doesn’t prevent the airport from being the second popular in the Golden State. Its flights connect all the key cities in the world. Through the year, 57 mln air travelers arrive and depart through four terminals, three of which serve the domestic travels. It makes a hub point for United Airlines. The SFO has its own direct underground railway to San Francisco city, which is 13 miles away, and features multiple ground connection options (taxis, public transportation). The airport accentuates the a cultural aspect. There is an aviation museum and a library located within the complex, and the waiting areas often host the art exhibitions. For passengers’ comfort and entertainment, there are numerous cafes, shops, comfortable waiting areas, public shower rooms and so on.
- San Diego International Airport. A single runway with the approaching path located in close proximity to the city skyscrapers might be an issue for the pilots but not the travelers. The latter number surpassed 24 mln per year and continues to grow. Though it doesn’t serve as a hub, there are numerous airlines operating to and from Canada, Mexico, Europe and Japan. Three airlines (Delta, United and American Airlines) have the lounges equipped for their passengers within the airport. The complex features two terminals connected by two-level pathways letting handle the incoming and outgoing traffic efficiently. There is a large facility for car rentals with shuttle bus connection. There are stationary art exhibitions and educational facilities within the airport.