Connecting at San Diego airport

Connection time calculator, immigration and security, and how to move between terminals at SAN.

How connections work at SAN

At San Diego airport, as at every airport in the United States, passengers arriving on an international flight must clear immigration (CBP) and customs, collect their checked bags and re-check them, and go through TSA security again before their connecting flight, even when both flights are on the same ticket.

The airport has 2 terminals or concourses (Terminal 1, Terminal 2). They are not connected after security: changing means going through security again.

Connecting passengers go through a transfer security screening.

Connection time calculator

Is your layover at SAN long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.

Terminals / concourses: Terminal 1, Terminal 2

Getting between them: Free loop shuttle between terminals (landside), about 4 a.m. to 2 a.m., every 10 to 15 minutes; walking at street level

Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are not connected airside (a secure connector is under construction). Changing terminals means leaving security, taking the free loop shuttle or walking at street level, and clearing security again.

There is no internal airside passport control. Arriving international passengers clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on arrival.

  • Budget 30 to 45 minutes to change terminals, including security; allow 90 minutes to 2 hours for a cross-terminal connection.
  • Terminal 2 has the only international arrivals facility: arriving international passengers clear immigration and customs there and re-check their bags; allow 2.5 to 3 hours.

Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.

Sources: layoverindex.com.

Times are estimates: always check with your airline.

TSA security wait times

Estimated wait at the security checkpoints of SAN right now. When live data is not available, it shows historical averages.

More about SAN

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