SFO or SJC
 

bumping an old thread, having to fly IAH to either SFO or SJC destination is Concord, so North East close to Martinez.

Oakland is out as I am trying to stay on United, which airport (SFO or SJC) do you recommend, will rent a car and drive to Concord.

Thanks!

forgot to add, price doesn't matter, looking for ease of travel, thx

I am going to say SJC. Smaller airport, less fog delays, no bridges to cross.

Also, don't cout out flying to SMF. Slightly longe drive to Concord, but depending on the time of day, it could be a much faster drive.

You don't say what time of day. That can make an extreme difference.

At "rush" hour, your travel from SJC to Martinez could take as long or longer than Sacramento to Martinez and be a very unpleasant drive.

But then there have been plenty of times that SFO to Martinez also would have taken that long.

I second the notion that you explore SMF, but if it MUST be SJC or SFO, I would choose SFO by a small margin.

One more vote to consider SMF. I would think that SJC would be more predictable than SFO (based on fog, and nasty commutes involving bridges). SJC offers more routings.

If you will be starting your drive from SFO on a weekday after 2pm (the latest), SJC is probably an equal option, because from SFO you would be better off backtracking down to the San Mateo Bridge after that time.

SMF is a good option, albeit a longer drive, and depending on your return time, 80 East is no picnic.

SMF would be especially compelling during rush hours. With no traffic (not common around here), the drive times to Concord would be pretty close. But traffic around SFO and SJC in the rush hours is getting really bad. There might be a few slowdowns from SMF to Concord, but probably not bad.

For example, according to Google Maps, right now (5 pm local time) SJC to Concord is 1hr50min. From SMF it is 1hr23min.

But...I'm not seeing any nonstops IAD-SMF. I don't think it's worth adding a connection.

Good thing you're not writing any of my appellate briefs. OP is flying from IAH. ;)

Doh!

Another option is to rent the car in Concord or Walnut Creek. Then you can avoid the hassle of driving through traffic by taking BART to and from SFO. Rental should be cheaper too as you avoid airport surcharges.

Yes, but you've got (1) a BART ticket purchase (which is over $11), (2) a wait for BART of anywhere up to 15 minutes, (3) a BART ride of approximately 1:15, and (4) getting to the car rental, which isn't right at the station. So you're nearing 2+ hours to get from the SFO Bart Entrance just to get to CCR and pick up a car.

That last part is the problem. Doesn't look like there is any car rental near the Concord, North Concord or Walnut Creek stations.

Wouldn't Enterprise pick you up at Bart?

Enterprise -
1) 1790 Concord Ave - Concord
2) 2550 Monument Ave - Concord
3) 3679 N. Main - Walnut Creek

Yes, but how much time are you really saving at that point?

AM weekday flight into SFO, get in by noon, drive to CCR in under an hour. Done.

ain
I wasn't suggesting taking BART - just responding to the comment that there weren't any car rental offices in the Concord/Walnut Creek area convenient to BART.