Originally Posted by cmtlatitudes

I'm flying into SFO and asking the community for recommendations on options. My incoming flight is on Alaska, arriving late evening. It's a positioning flight, for an AA award J flight on Fiji airways late the following evening. Two separate tickets. My plan is to stay at either the airport hotel or a close in hotel, work in the morning at the hotel until checkout, and then I'm not sure.

The email from Fiji Airways says check in counters open three hours before departure. For context, I will have one checked bag and a carry-on. My mobility is improving, but managing the baggage by myself, and walking significant distances in the airport, are non-starters. This is the first trip in five years I've considered trying an airport venture without Wheelchair assistance. I'm wary of this though. I do have Wheelchair assistance lined up on the Alaska incoming flight.

First question: Staying at the Airport Hyatt or a close-In hotel. My preference is the Airport Hotel, but my gut feel is that a close in hotel will work better for my situation. Arriving at SFO, my guess is Alaska's WC service would assist me ramp to Airport Hotel. Or ramp to the Airport Shuttle area. Either of those should work OK. However, the next day is a dilemma though. Am I right in thinking my options for assistance from the Airport Hyatt, to the Fiji Airways check-in counter, are probably limited? In contrast to a close in hotel, whose shuttle would drop me off at essentially the counter?

Second question: I can do limited walking with my carry-on, as long as there's places to sit periodically. I'd like to leave the hotel around 3 or 4 pm, and check out the AS or AA lounges before the Fiji Air flight. I looked at SFO's map, and maybe this would be doable, if I didn't have the checked bag, and not able to check it until 3 hours before the flight. Maybe. Would I have to go through in and out of security between the two terminals? If I had to use WC assistance, I'm not certain how the hand-off would work between Fiji Air and AA (or if they'd even help me, just to go to the lounge for a few hours. A few years ago, I was flat-out refused at MIA. Wheelchair assistant said obligation was gate to gate, with a restroom stop.). My last experience with WC assistance handoff between Etihad and AA was - one score of excellent and one score of horrendous.

All in all, with the mobility limitations and the 3-hour check-in limitation on bags, it seems like the best workable option, is booking an extra night or day rate at the hotel and staying there until the check-in counter opens around 7pm. Am I thinking this through correctly? or might there be some other options I'm not thinking of?