San Diego International Airport (KSAN/SAN)
San Diego, United States
San Diego Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The SAN crew card
| Fastest into town | MTS bus Route 992 from the departures level at both terminals: about 15 minutes to Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego, every 15 minutes for most of the day. The Trolley does not stop at the airport |
|---|---|
| First and last bus | Route 992 first reaches Terminal 1 at 4:34 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 4:38 a.m. On the timetable in force until September 6, 2026 that trip is not scheduled onward into town, so the first published departure toward Santa Fe Depot is Terminal 1 5:18 a.m. or Terminal 2 5:22 a.m.; from September 6 the 4:34 a.m. trip runs through and reaches Santa Fe Depot at 4:48 a.m. The last bus of the night leaves Terminal 1 at 12:37 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 12:41 a.m., extended to 12:52 a.m. and 12:56 a.m. from September 6, 2026 |
| Payments | Tap a contactless credit or debit card, a mobile wallet, or a PRONTO card as you board; the adult one-way fare is USD 2.50 and a PRONTO fare carries unlimited transfers for two hours. The USD 1.25 reduced fare is for seniors, riders with disabilities, Medicare recipients and youth, and it needs valid identification. Cash needs exact change on the bus and buys one ride with no transfer |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 911 (City of San Diego, Port of San Diego Harbor Police at SAN, and San Diego County lines) · non-emergency 619-531-2000 |
| Solo & at night | Port of San Diego Harbor Police keep a 24/7 presence at SAN and a substation at Terminal 1, but the gate areas close around 2 a.m. and everyone must move to the pre-security side until the checkpoints reopen around 4:15 a.m. |
| Crew knows | Cash buys one ride with no transfer and needs exact change, so tap a card instead: a PRONTO fare carries unlimited transfers for two hours, and pay-as-you-go stops charging once your taps reach the value of the USD 6.00 adult day pass. At the USD 2.50 adult fare that is your third ride, and the USD 1.25 reduced fare will not help you get there, because it is for seniors, riders with disabilities, Medicare recipients and youth. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · SAN crew card · Checked Sep 2026 · Next check Sep 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Getting from San Diego International Airport into downtown San Diego: the Route 992 bus, the free Old Town shuttle, or a taxi?
One city bus does the airport run, and it is not the Trolley. Route 992 leaves from the departures level at both terminals and puts you down at Broadway and Kettner Blvd. The Blue Line, the COASTER and Amtrak are right there at Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza, the Green Line is one block east at Santa Fe Depot Station, and the Orange Line is a separate walk to Courthouse Station. A separate free airport shuttle covers Old Town instead, and the rental car counters are not in the terminals at all.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus (MTS Route 992) | about 15 minutes between the airport and Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego every 15 minutes for most of the day, seven days a week; on the timetable in force until September 6, 2026 evening headways stretch to about 30 minutes after the 6:34 p.m. departure from 4th Av. and Broadway, and from September 6 the operator extends 15-minute service to the end of service |
USD 2.50 adult one way; USD 1.25 reduced for seniors, riders with disabilities, Medicare recipients and youth, who need valid identification | Stops are on the 2nd Level Departures at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Toward the airport, board at Kettner Blvd. and W. Broadway in front of Starbucks, which the operator calls across the street from Santa Fe Depot; the timetable names one timepoint for both directions, America Plaza / Santa Fe Depot at Broadway and Kettner Bl. The first bus of the day reaches Terminal 1 at 4:34 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 4:38 a.m., but on the sheet in force until September 6, 2026 the first two trips print no onward times into town, so the first published departure toward Santa Fe Depot is Terminal 1 5:18 a.m. or Terminal 2 5:22 a.m.; from September 6 the 4:34 a.m. trip runs through and reaches Santa Fe Depot at 4:48 a.m. At the other end of the day the last bus leaves Terminal 1 at 12:37 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 12:41 a.m., extended to 12:52 a.m. and 12:56 a.m. from September 6, which is also when 15-minute service runs right through the evening. Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza connect with three Rapid bus lines, COASTER and Amtrak. |
| Free airport shuttle (San Diego Flyer) to Old Town Transit Center | about 15 minutes from Old Town Transit Center to Terminal 1 and about 20 minutes to Terminal 2 on the schedule the airport publishes approximately every 20 to 30 minutes, seven days a week, with one 40-minute gap after the 9:40 p.m. departure from Old Town on the schedule the airport publishes |
free | The schedule the airport links runs from a first Old Town departure at 4:50 a.m. to a last at 12:20 a.m., which reaches Terminal 1 at 12:35 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 12:40 a.m. The transit authority puts the first pick-up at 4:45 a.m. and the last pick-up or drop-off at 12:30 a.m., timed to meet the first and last Trolley, COASTER, Amtrak and MTS services. No clock times are published for the airport to Old Town direction, so plan that leg on the frequency rather than on a timetable. At the airport it uses the Transportation Plaza across the street from baggage claim, and at Old Town it uses the east side of the transit center near the depot building. On request it also stops at Admiral Boland Way and Palm St, one block from Middletown Station on the Blue Line or the Green Line. It carries transit riders only, and there is no overnight parking at Old Town Transit Center. |
| Taxi | metered against a regulated ceiling: USD 3.80 flag drop for the first 1/10 mile, USD 4.10 per mile and USD 33.00 per hour of waiting time, plus an additional USD 3.56 surcharge on trips that start at the airport. A cab fitted with an electronic point of sale device may charge 6 percent more, which is USD 4.00 flag drop, USD 4.30 per mile and USD 35.00 per hour, with the same USD 3.56 airport surcharge | Those are maximum rates for street hails, taxi stands and telephone bookings, and a driver may agree a lower rate before the trip starts. They do not apply to trips booked through a website or a mobile app. Ground transportation is picked up at the Transportation Plazas in front of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, where customer service representatives stand under a blue umbrella. Confirm the operator is authorized before you get in, and refuse anyone soliciting your business. The airport publishes no flat rate to downtown. If you leave something in a cab that started at the airport, call 619-400-2140. | |
| Rideshare (Uber, Lyft, Wingz, PrimeTime) | app priced; the airport publishes no fare | Those four companies are the ones authorized to operate at SAN. From Terminal 1, leave baggage claim and take the pedestrian crosswalk. From Terminal 2, leave baggage claim and use the main crosswalk to the Transportation Plaza; pick-up is in the second lane. Drop-offs are curbside at both terminals. Report an unauthorized operator to the Airport Coordination Center at 619-400-2710. | |
| Rental car (Rental Car Center shuttle) | free shuttle buses run continuously, 24 hours a day, every day | the shuttle is free; the rental itself is priced by the agency | Every rental pick-up and drop-off at SAN happens at the Rental Car Center at 3355 Admiral Boland Way, which is not in either terminal, so build shuttle time into both ends of the trip. This shuttle is its own service: it is not Route 992 and it is not the San Diego Flyer, and the three do not share stops or schedules. The airport advises checking your own agency’s opening hours and return procedure. Anything left on the shuttle goes to the airport Lost and Found rather than to the rental desk. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in San Diego, from the Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy out to Old Town and Point Loma
Downtown and the Gaslamp Quarter: The bus from the airport ends here: Victorian brick blocks, the bar and restaurant strip, the ballpark and the waterfront, all walkable from Santa Fe Depot.
Little Italy: A dense grid of cafes, a Saturday market and the piazza, a short walk north of the Route 992 stop and the easiest sit-down meal on a short window.
Old Town: The early Spanish and Mexican settlement, now a park of adobes and courtyard restaurants, and the far end of the free airport shuttle.
Balboa Park and Hillcrest: Museums, gardens and the zoo on one side, an independent shopping and eating district on the other; a bus ride beyond the downtown core.
Point Loma and Ocean Beach: The peninsula west of the runway: harbor views, the cliffs and the pier, and the quiet end of a long layover.
What to Do on a Layover in San Diego, from a short sit airside to a full day downtown and one district beyond
Under 5 hours: Stay airside. The Wi-Fi is free and a downtown round trip plus a second pass through screening does not sit comfortably in a short window.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move: Route 992 to Santa Fe Depot, the waterfront and Little Italy or the Gaslamp on foot, and back on the same bus. Fix your return departure before you leave the stop.
9 hours plus: Downtown plus one more district is realistic. Either ride the Trolley on from Santa Fe Depot, or take the free Flyer to Old Town and come back the same way, with the last bus and the shuttle’s closing time in mind.
Crew Tips for San Diego and SAN Airport: the fare, the Trolley that does not come to the airport, and the overnight hole
Paying for transit: Adult one-way fares on MTS bus, Trolley and Rapid are USD 2.50. The USD 1.25 reduced fare is not a general discount: the operator limits it to seniors, riders with disabilities, Medicare recipients and youth, and it requires valid identification, so most working crew pay the adult fare. Pay by tapping a contactless credit or debit card, a mobile wallet or a wearable, by PRONTO card, or in the PRONTO app; each passenger needs their own form of payment. A PRONTO fare includes unlimited transfers for two hours, and pay-as-you-go stops charging once you reach the value of a USD 6.00 adult day pass. Cash is the poor option: it buys a single ride with no transfer, buses need exact change, and day passes and PRONTO cards are not sold on board. There are ticket machines at the airport near the information centers and at the Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza Trolley stations.
The Trolley does not come to the airport: The airport states plainly that the Trolley and the COASTER do not stop at San Diego International Airport. Two different products bridge the gap and they are easy to confuse. Route 992 is an ordinary MTS bus you pay for, and it runs to Broadway and Kettner Blvd. for the Blue Line at Santa Fe Depot or America Plaza, the Green Line at Santa Fe Depot Station one block east, and the Orange Line at Courthouse Station, which is a separate station and a separate walk. The San Diego Flyer is a free airport shuttle and it goes only to Old Town Transit Center, with a request stop at Admiral Boland Way and Palm St one block from Middletown Station. Neither is the other, and a fare or a timetable from one tells you nothing about the other. Neither reaches any further either: Route 992 prints four timepoints and they are all airport or downtown, so Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Balboa Park and everything else means changing to another bus or the Trolley once you are off the airport service.
The overnight hole: SAN is open 24 hours but the gate areas are not. With no overnight departures the gate area closes each night around 2 a.m., every guest has to move to the pre-security side, and you can only go back through once the checkpoints reopen around 4:15 a.m. Route 992 has the same shape of gap, and it is wider than the terminal times suggest. The last bus leaves Terminal 1 at 12:37 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 12:41 a.m., extended to 12:52 a.m. and 12:56 a.m. from September 6, 2026. Coming back the other way, the first bus reaches Terminal 1 at 4:34 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 4:38 a.m., but until September 6 those first two trips are not scheduled onward into town, so the first published departure toward Santa Fe Depot is Terminal 1 5:18 a.m. or Terminal 2 5:22 a.m. Terminal 1 is served four minutes before Terminal 2 at both ends of the night, so use the Terminal 1 time if that is where you finish. Do not count on the overnight Route 910 to fill the gap. That bus runs between downtown and the border at San Ysidro, it does not serve the airport, and the airport itself only offers it as a connection you transfer to downtown at the City College or Santa Fe Depot stops.
What a taxi may legally charge: San Diego taxi fares run against a published ceiling. The maximum is USD 3.80 flag drop for the first 1/10 mile, USD 4.10 per mile and USD 33.00 per hour of waiting time or traffic delay, and a trip that starts at the airport carries an additional USD 3.56 surcharge. A cab with an electronic point of sale device may charge 6 percent more, so USD 4.00 flag drop, USD 4.30 per mile and USD 35.00 per hour, with the same airport surcharge. Those ceilings cover street hails, taxi stands and phone bookings only. Book the same cab through a website or an app and the maximum rates no longer apply, so agree the price first.
Connectivity: Airport Wi-Fi is free and fast but it hands out two-hour sessions; when one runs out you simply reconnect for more time. The network is called #Official SAN Wi-fi. Courtesy phones throughout the terminals make free local calls to the 619, 858 and 760 area codes.
Bags on a layover: Plan to carry what you bring. The airport’s own list of services and facilities names no left luggage desk; the only lockers on it are two bicycle lockers, free with a USD 25 refundable key deposit and online sign-up. Luggage carts are free for arriving passengers in the International Arrivals Hall and cost money elsewhere, taking credit and debit only. If something goes missing, the Lost and Found office is on the ground level of Terminal 2 at 3707 N. Harbor Drive, Suite 109, reachable on 619-400-2140, open every day 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with on-site pick-up by appointment only.
Emergency Numbers for San Diego, SAN Airport, and the United States
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| Emergency (police, fire, medical) | 911 |
| San Diego Police non-emergency, 24 hours | 619-531-2000 |
| Harbor Police at SAN Airport, non-emergency | 619-686-6272 |
| San Diego Access and Crisis Line, mental health and substance use, 24 hours | 1-888-724-7240 |
| United States country code (calling from abroad) | +1 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from San Diego airport to downtown?
Take MTS bus Route 992 from the 2nd Level Departures at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. The transit authority puts the ride at about 15 minutes to Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego, running every 15 minutes for most of the day, seven days a week. The adult one-way fare is USD 2.50, paid by tapping a contactless card, a mobile wallet or a PRONTO card as you board. The USD 1.25 reduced fare is only for seniors, riders with disabilities, Medicare recipients and youth, with valid identification.
Does the San Diego Trolley go to the airport?
No. The airport states that the Trolley and the COASTER do not stop at San Diego International Airport. Route 992 is the paid bus link and puts you at Broadway and Kettner Blvd. for the Blue Line at Santa Fe Depot or America Plaza and the Green Line at Santa Fe Depot Station one block east; the Orange Line is at Courthouse Station, which is a different station. The San Diego Flyer is a separate free airport shuttle that runs only to Old Town Transit Center.
Is there a free shuttle from San Diego airport?
Yes. The San Diego Flyer runs free between both terminals and Old Town Transit Center, approximately every 20 to 30 minutes, seven days a week, with one 40-minute gap after the 9:40 p.m. departure from Old Town. The schedule the airport publishes lists Old Town departures only, from a first at 4:50 a.m. to a last at 12:20 a.m. that reaches Terminal 1 at 12:35 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 12:40 a.m., while the transit authority puts the first pick-up at 4:45 a.m. and the last pick-up or drop-off at 12:30 a.m. No clock times are published for the airport to Old Town direction. It picks up at the Transportation Plaza across from baggage claim and carries transit riders only. Separately, a free shuttle runs continuously 24 hours a day between the terminals and the Rental Car Center.
What is the last bus from San Diego airport at night?
The last Route 992 leaves Terminal 1 at 12:37 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 12:41 a.m., extended to 12:52 a.m. and 12:56 a.m. under the timetable that starts on September 6, 2026. Terminal 1 is four minutes earlier, so plan to the Terminal 1 time if that is where you finish. The first bus of the next day reaches Terminal 1 at 4:34 a.m. and Terminal 2 at 4:38 a.m., though until September 6 those first trips are not scheduled onward into town and the first published departure toward Santa Fe Depot is Terminal 1 5:18 a.m. or Terminal 2 5:22 a.m. Nothing on MTS bridges that gap at the airport: the overnight Route 910 runs between downtown and the border at San Ysidro and does not serve the terminals. The gate areas close around 2 a.m. as well, and the security checkpoints reopen around 4:15 a.m.
Is tap water safe to drink in San Diego?
Yes. The City of San Diego’s 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report states the city’s tap water met all state and federal drinking water health standards, the city says it has never sold a drop of water deemed unsafe in more than 100 years, and the service line inventory did not identify any lead in the system. Fill the crew bottle from the tap.
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Crew Discounts in San Diego: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit right below this guide. Bookmark this page before you head out to the bus stop on the departures level. Next San Diego rotation you start on the rates instead of from scratch.
