PICKUP OVERVIEW
Where to pick up at SAN.
Picking someone up at San Diego Airport? Find the McCain Road Cell Phone Lot, Terminal 1 and 2 Arrivals pickup, Transportation Plaza rideshare, and taxi options.
CURRENT SAN CONDITIONS
Airport conditions
Airport-wide FAA delay status and the latest aviation weather observation. Use ArrivalCue’s homepage tracker for a flight-specific pickup plan.
CHOOSE YOUR PICKUP
Choose your pickup
Choose the situation that matches your pickup at SAN.
A friend or family member is driving
Private-arrivals pickup
- Traveler
- Confirm Terminal 1 or 2 and wait at Arrivals with luggage before calling.
- Driver
- Wait at the Cell Phone Lot, then follow green signs to the traveler’s terminal Arrivals area.
The arrival is late at night
Cell Phone Lot hours check
- Traveler
- Share the terminal only when you are ready with bags.
- Driver
- The Cell Phone Lot has daily hours, so use legal parking rather than roadway waiting outside those hours.
Uber or Lyft from Terminal 1
Terminal 1 rideshare
- Traveler
- Cross after baggage claim and follow airport signs to the ride-app pickup area.
- Driver
- Use the app and airport signage for Terminal 1 pickup rather than the private Arrivals curb.
Uber or Lyft from Terminal 2
Transportation Plaza pickup
- Traveler
- Use the main crosswalk after baggage claim to reach Transportation Plaza’s second lane.
- Driver
- Meet in Transportation Plaza’s second lane, separate from private terminal pickup.
PICKUP AND WAITING LOCATIONS
Where to wait or park
Open the place you need before entering the terminal area.
WAIT BEFORE PICKUP
SAN Cell Phone Lot
2311 McCain Road, accessed from McCain Road.
Open SAN Cell Phone Lot in Google Maps ↗TERMINAL 2 RIDE APPS
SAN Transportation Plaza
Terminal 2 rideshare pickup in the second lane.
Open SAN Transportation Plaza in Google Maps ↗PRIVATE PICKUP
SAN Terminal 1 and 2 Arrivals
Follow green roadway signs from the Cell Phone Lot to the selected terminal.
Open SAN Terminal 1 and 2 Arrivals in Google Maps ↗SAN-SPECIFIC DETAILS
Important details
SAN has terminal-specific ride-app paths
Terminal 1 uses the baggage-claim crosswalk and signage, while Terminal 2 directs ride-app passengers to Transportation Plaza’s second lane.
The Cell Phone Lot is not a late-night fallback
SAN publishes daily operating hours and a 60-minute, attended-vehicle rule. Coordinate a legal parking plan when the arrival falls outside them.
Sources
Airport guidance can change. Follow current signs and staff instructions. Review dates apply to the source facts listed in our guide data.
- SAN Cell Phone Lot ↗Source facts reviewed August 25, 2026
- SAN ride services ↗Source facts reviewed August 25, 2026
- Official SAN airport website ↗