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As the third part of Word Airport Website Report, it will cover the terminal map and airport information section. As always, I will choose some typical websites and analysis how well they deliver the information to airport travellers.
This is the oview terminal map for SFO.
It will be better if they have the introduction for this map. My questions are like:
1) What is the relationship between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3? I am flying with UA and which terminal should I likely to arrive?
2) Why only three terminals were named. Why the outlet of Gate 40-48 is not called a terminal?
3) What is the area marked with A/B, B, C, D, E, F, F/G? (They are boarding areas)
Services, Shops, Arlines...
The services, shop and airline information on SFO is more like an application instead of a website. By choosing the category, you are offered a list of items so you can get more inforamtion about the item. It is amazing that it covers almost all the facilities on the airport.
For example, here is the list of the services:
Services
=============================================
Information
Airport Information Booths
Customs Information
Travelers Aid
Services
ATMs
Banking Services
Cellular Phone Rentals
Currency Exchange
Hair Salon and Public Showers
Lockers & Storage Facilities
Lodging, Transportation & Attractions Board
Lost & Found
Luggage Carts
Medical Clinic
Nurseries
Postal Services
Shoe Shines
TDD Telephone
Telephones Equipped with Dataports
Travel Agency
Wheelchairs
Take the ATM as an example, it provide detailed information about each ATM on the airport.
ATMs
Bank of America ATMs are located in
Terminal 1: Boarding Area B
Terminal 3: Boarding Area FUnion Bank ATMs are located in
Terminal 1: Rotunda A, Boarding Areas B and C.
Terminal 3: Boarding Areas E and FWells Fargo ATMs are located in
Terminal 1: Boarding Areas B and C
Terminal 3: Boarding Area F.Travelex ATMs are located throughout the International Terminal
The only see I can see to improve is to put the map along with all the introductions so it is easier to locate then on the map.
Gates
In SFO, certain airlines are serving predefined gates. That makes it easier locate a gate or an airline. Here is an example. It looks nice:
Gates G91-G102
Boarding Area GGates G91 ?G102 are located in International Terminal Boarding Area G. The following airlines service these gates:
Aeroflot
Air China
ANA - All Nippon Airways
Asiana
EVA Airways
Lufthansa
Mexicana
Singapore Airlines
United Airlines (international)
Overal Rating
The Airport Guide section of SFO provide enough information for customers. The only shortcoming from my perspective is, the application nature (or the Framed nature) of the guide are not search engine friend and the fragment of information may not be as effecient as putting everything together on the same page.
The concourse layout map at Hartsfield Airport seems to cost a lot of effort to built.
Till now, I still think the SFO's version is better - a frame work to provide clear gate information and the lane inside the concourse, then provide the location marks on the seperate map - putting everything together on the same map is not easy to read.
Conclusion
Based on my obversation, to be a successful terminal map,
1) The map should use clear fonts and icons - too small icons make it useless.
2) The map should be careful to use icons - sometimes it will be better to mark only neccessary icons.
3) The map should avoid interactive content - Denver's interactive concourse map does not show the content at once.
Dallas Airport provides a very good idea to put a terminal map on the top and a table of facilities at the bottom.
The facility can be easily found if the gate number is given. I believe the future PVG.CN will take this approach - easier to create, update and read with less effort, compared to a large map with all the legend and icons on it.
The JFK Terminal Map is the typical all in one map with all different kinds of icons fillup in the same map. I don't like this kind of map.
"World Airport Website Report - Terminal Map" was posted by Jian Shuo Wang at July 13, 2003 8:25 PM under (My Life » This Site) category. Copyright: You are free to redistribute this work, as long as you keep this disclaimer and this link: http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20030713_world_airport_website_report_-_terminal_map.htm
Try to provide some answers to your questions about SFO:
1) I believe "terminal" means "terminal building". The (light) colored shapes illustrate buildings. You may then see the extent of each terminal. There is a hallway between terminals 1 and 2, and also 2 and 3.
2) Thus, Gates 40-48 are in terminal 3.
3) I believe the letters designate underground parking areas. People mostly go there by car, thus the significance.
SFO is large and complex. Complex, because it has been expanded from the old airport (essentially the current domestic part). In some sense, one must be familiar with the airport to appreciate everything on the map. On the other hand, I would not be surprised this is a map they have copied from somewhere else, say an existing paper brochure. In reality, not too many people would look at this map on the web to find out details of the airport. It provides me just a general layout of the place. Services are detailed maybe they were paid to put the details there for the commercial concerns.
Posted by: from california on July 14, 2003 12:47 PMThanks for the detailed information. It is very useful.
Posted by: Jian Shuo Wang (external link) on July 14, 2003 1:19 PMIs there a baggage storage facility at Chengdu Airport, Sichuan?
Posted by: Alan Crouch on September 1, 2003 2:13 PMSorry. I don't know whether they have. Chances are, they will have the facility but I cannot confirm it.
Posted by: Jian Shuo Wang (external link) on September 1, 2003 5:24 PM" 2) Thus, Gates 40-48 are in terminal 3."
I think that if you look again you will see that gates 40 - 48 are actually in Terminal 1, NOT Terminal 3. Terminal 1 includes gates 1 -48 and Terminal 3 includes 60 - 90. The "missing" gates (49 - 59) are part of Terminal 2 that is currently undergoing renovation and thus are out of service for the time being.
It really would be helpful to have maps of concourses shown for all the major cities in the United States such as the gate numbers for Atlanta Hartsfield. The map that is on this site leaves much to be desired.
Posted by: Richard Edwards on October 23, 2003 8:51 PMWill this site help? http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/jfkframe.HTM
Posted by: Jian Shuo Wang (external link) on December 31, 2003 5:15 PMDear sir or Madam
I am going to travel to your so beautiful country dut I have some problems. I can not find flights from Beijing and Shanghai ti Dalian. I am looking for some flights as like as below
Beijing to Dalian
Dalian to Beijing
Shanghai to Dalian
Would you please be kindness and send to my email address a timetable of 5flights that are available in everyday.
thanks for your attention and your time.
yours faithfully
zohre(Miss)
Dear zohre
Try to find it on
http://www.amadeus.net/pl/availabilityonly/en/avail_only.htm
It's quite easy !
Posted by: Carsten on September 7, 2004 9:27 PMgive http://www.ctrip.com a try. It has English edition.
Posted by: Jian Shuo Wang (external link) on September 7, 2004 10:30 PMI am ;trying to get a terminal map for the Los Cabos Airport in Mexico. It seems I can get everyone in the world except this one. I need to meet my daughter in the airport and want a spot where we both can find easily.
CAn you hlep?
ROn Perkins
Chicago
A little off-topic but just wanted to say I liked the layout of the site
Posted by: escorts (external link) on July 31, 2005 1:10 PMIt defies logic unless you physically visit SFO, however . . .
Gates 1-48 (including 40-48) are located in Terminal 1
Terminal 2 is curently closed (gates 50-59)
Gates 60 through 90 are located in Terminal 3
Gates A1 through A12 and gates G91 through G102
A/B, B, C, D, E, F, F/G are indeed sections in the central parking structure.
I find it a amusing that SFO marks the parking structure more clearly than the gates & terminals.
Posted by: Dougster on November 30, 2007 6:16 AMHow to go from terminal 1 to terminal 3 in San Francisco Airport
Posted by: tamer on May 13, 2008 9:02 PMHow to go from terminal 1 to terminal 3 in San Francisco Airport
Posted by: tamer on May 13, 2008 9:04 PMHi, i am travelling from India to SA... then i have to catch a domestic flight to
Freson... i need port map of SA so that it will be easy for me to move from international terminal to domestic terminal... please help....
Hello
I will be using SFO the first time, and I want to know how to get from terminal 3 to International terminal?
I will have around 2 hrs to get my checked bag/s from an American Airlines and then get to International terminal.
How long does it take to walk the distance?
How to get on an Airtrain?
I have read around some sites but still cannot really figure out how. Your help is very much appreciated.
Thanks.