Big4Flyer

In attempt to finally liquidate my Frontier miles I booked flights for our family vacation to Florida, flying SFO-DEN-MCO on Saturday, April 25 and returning May 3. Unfortunately, while we live in SMF, the nearest airport F9 flies to is SFO and so, after a 3 hour schedule change, our flight is scheduled to leave at 6am. While I considered booking a park and fly package at one of the airport hotels, I was unable to find any less than $190 which sort of negates the point of using miles to save money on flights. Our current plan is to pick up a 1 way rental car the night before at SMF for $28, leave Sacramento at 3am, drop off the rental car at SFO and take the Skytrain to Terminal 1 where the Frontier desk is located. We'll then do the exact same thing on the way back except in reverse, picking up another 1 way rental car, dropping it off at SMF.

We'll be traveling with 1 suitcase, a stroller and 1 or 2 car seats and there will be my wife and I plus a 3 year old and 9 month old. While we have plenty of experience flying as a family, I have never had to navigate SFO and would appreciate any critiques or tips you could provide or alternatives I may not have considered. Would it be a long walk from the rental car facility to the Terminal 1 check-in or does the SkyTrain get you pretty close to the desks? Would it be wiser for me to drop off the family at the terminal and then drop-off the car and rejoin them? Any suggestions are appreciated.

nnn

It's not a lot of walking, but I'd still opt to drop them off at the terminal. The airtrain requires a few trips on elevators or stairs, and it can be annoying with kids & belongings, especially at that ungodly hour. Dropping the off at the terminal shouldn't set you back more than 5-10 minutes extra.

Doc Savage

If you can get the one way rental for $28, that sounds easiest and cheapest. Agree with dropping spouse off, they can check in any bags while waiting for you. Renting the car may even be cheaper than paying for parking for that length of time.

With a three hour schedule change, I'd sure be pushing F9 to get better flights.

Have fun in Florida!

mikew99

Not knowing the exact details of your trip (length of stay, prices of car rentails including taxes & fees, parking charges in SMF, etc.), I'd like to suggest that a ~$200 park and fly rate -- while probably not the cheapest option -- would be far easier and well worth the extra cost in your case.

You'll be able to leisurely drive to SFO the night before and get a good night's sleep at the airport hotel before your long transcontinental flight. And rather than scramble the kids at that ungodly hour of the morning, drive for a few hours, and do the back-and-forth with the car rental, you just hop on the hotel shuttle in the morning for the short ride to the terminal. I know the park-and-fly option seems like a lot of money to pay, but unless it was financially a deal breaker, I think it's worth considering.

Doc Savage

How much difference getting up early in SMF vs getting up at 3:30 am at the hotel at SFO though? 6 am flights just suck, period. I'd really push F9 for a better flight time if possible since they made such a big schedule change. That may not be possible, though.

Not sure I'd leave SMF as late at 3am for the 6 am flight from SFO. And much better picking up the car early evening the day before.

ETA: this hotel is somewhat cheaper than some others for park/sleep/fly. It's basic, about Motel 6 or Super 8 like, but comfortable enough. Shuttle runs on schedule. Google around for discount codes. I stayed there once, it was acceptable.

http://www.citigardenhotel.com/

The La Quinta in Millbrae is quite nice, and a little cheaper than some. You might call to arrange a rate.

365RoadWarrior

I get a lot of Park n' Fly rates for 14 day parking at $139 or less. Not cheap, but lower than you were being quoted. Try Hilton Garden Inn San Mateo or Doubletree San Francisco Airport North. The Doubletree San Francisco Airport (not North) often has good 7-day rates.

For the past two years, my car has been living at SFO airport hotels.

Big4Flyer

Unfortunately, the only options F9 gave us were to switch to an evening flight that would be red-eye from DEN-MCO which I didn't really want to try with kids.

I appreciate all the hotel suggestions, I haven't seen the Citi Garden Hotel; that may be worth a shot. I'm certainly not looking forward to a 6 am flight, especially since that turned our layover from 1.5 hours to 4.5 hours at DEN. I'm getting close to just using WN points for the trip since I could use the CP and save on baggage and parking fees, sit together for free, and get there 4 hours faster, but I just want to use up these points so I can forget about them. At least with the 6am departure we'll get into DEN early enough to hopefully try the new United Club breakfast offerings! That should be something of a consolation prize

Ocn Vw 1K

Big4Flyer, if you have enough hotel points/certificates, it would seem to be a good use of them for an SFO airport-area hotel.

Almost all chains have at least one property near SFO with free shuttle service (Just ensure that the property you choose has early shuttle service that morning). So you could do the one-way car rental from Sact'o., arriving at the SFO-area hotel the night before, drop off the family, return the car and get a free ride back to your hotel, get a better night's sleep; and then about 4:30 a.m., instead of the 2:30 a.m, I'd recommend, leave the SF airport hotel rather than leave Sact'o hoping that there are no hiccups along that 100 mile drive, including the extra step of a rental car return.

squeakr

Anything can happen on a 3 AM drive to SFO.
Is it 190 for the whole time ? I'd say take it if so.