Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) is a pleasant major Bay Area airport if you ask me. That’s mostly because of its compact size rather than any particular amenities or standout features. But I always seek it out if possible precisely because it’s easy to move through. It’s also less subject to weather disruption than SFO across the bay, where delays stack up fast when things turn inclement.
OAK is great if your destination is the East Bay, but it’s also a decent option for getting to San Francisco. The travel time to downtown SF isn’t much longer than from SFO. That being said, traffic can be a major factor (more on that below).
OAK is well worth a look for your next trip to or from the Bay Area, even if you’re headed further afield than Oakland itself.
Tip: If you’re headed to the South Bay or San Jose area, look for flights to and from SJC. It’ll be quite a hike from OAK.
Transport options at OAK
Your best bet for transport will depend a lot on where you’re headed and the time of day. For most people, the easiest way to and from the airport is going to be Uber or Lyft. Keep in mind the Bay Area, especially around the bridges, can be traffic-choked and rush hour can sometimes last all day.
Public transport
If you need to cross the Bay during rushhour, the BART train could be a better choice. It’ll be cheaper and quicker. However, the BART train ride isn’t always pleasant. It had a rough patch in terms of safety but has improved since.
Be prepared to come across a range of characters, some of whom could seem threatening if you’re not used to big urban areas. If it’s during the day and you have your wits about you, it should be fine. The choice of taking the train is a matter of personal preference and temperament.
Vans and buses
If you don’t want to rent a car, there are scheduled van and bus services to get you further afield, including a regular service to Marin and Sonoma counties. Look for Groome Transportation (formerly Sonoma County Airport Express), or better yet, head to their website to book a ride in advance.
Rental cars
If you’re going beyond the Bay Area, renting a car is a good option. Renting a car at Oakland is easy, a quick shuttle will take you from the terminal to the rental car center and it’s all pretty efficient.
The layout of the airport
The OAK layout is refreshingly simple. The airport splits into two manageable terminals that you can walk between in minutes, and they’re connected airside past security. Terminal 2 is entirely Southwest Airlines, while Terminal 1 hosts all other airlines, handling both domestic and international flights.
Security
Each terminal has its own security checkpoint, and both tend to be busy. The best thing about the security checkpoint at Terminal 2 is the big living wall full of real plants that adorns one whole section of wall. It’s designed to put passengers at ease and does a good job of it. It’s a lot nicer than the usual sterile white walls and forbidding atmosphere that the TSA tends to create.
Unfortunately, it’s rare to find it without long lines, including at the CLEAR and TSA PreCheck section. To avoid any stress, I’d recommend planning for an extra half hour to get through security. Luckily this will be the only part of the experience that will slow you down, as there are no long distances to traverse to your gate.
Where you can fly from Oakland
Oakland doesn’t have as much nonstop service as many in the East Bay would like. Most flights are to the western half of the US to hubs like Salt Lake City or LAX, plus some smaller cities thanks to the Southwest network. That means you can get just about anywhere with one connection, at least.
However, there are a few interesting routes from Oakland including direct flights to Hawaii (with Hawaiian and Southwest) and seasonal service to the Azores in Portugal. The Azores service is operated by SATA Azores Airlines and typically runs during summer months using a wet-leased Airbus A330-200 from Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas - check current schedules before booking as service and aircraft arrangements can vary by season.
Tip: Advanced Air also flies from Oakland to Crescent City, CA, a convenient option for the California-Oregon border area.
Fly JSX, skip the terminals
If you fly with JSX you can skip the terminals entirely and use a private terminal at 9351 Earhart Rd instead. This means you can show up 20 minutes before departure. I’d highly recommend checking if JSX serves your needs (they fly to destinations including Burbank and Las Vegas).
Parking
Parking at Oakland Airport is a cinch because the airport is so small. You have everything from Premier, Hourly and Daily parking right in front of the terminals to cheaper Economy lots that require a quick shuttle bus ride. There are also third-party parking lots off-airport where you can save even more money, including operators like Expresso Airport Parking and The Parking Spot.
Tip: The Oakland Airport website has a handy chart showing up-to-the-minute parking availability at its various lots.
Alternatives to OAK
There’s no denying that SFO generally offers more service options than Oakland, particularly for medium- and long-haul, transcontinental (to the east coast) and international flights. You can reach just about anywhere from Oakland if you’re willing to connect at a hub like Salt Lake City or Los Angeles first, but if you want nonstop service you’ll be a lot more likely to find it at SFO. However, fares out of SFO for shorter domestic flights tend to be more expensive, and SFO is very busy so delays and cancellations can happen more often.
Lounge
The Escape Lounge is the only lounge at OAK and it’s probably not going to knock your socks off. However, it can be a nice place to sit and get some free food away from the bustle of the terminal.
I wouldn’t pay extra to visit, but if you have access via other means it can be a good option. The lounge is open to Priority Pass cardholders, as well as American Express Platinum and Delta Reserve Card holders (the latter only if flying on a Delta flight). As a bonus, children are welcome and those under 2 years old enter for free.
What to do during a layover
My layover recommendations depend on how long you’ve got:
Up to 3 hours: Don’t leave the airport. It’s too tight to enjoy yourself doing much.
4 hours: Head to a taco truck nearby. There are several good ones in the vicinity that are easily found on Google Maps. If you like tacos it’s worth the Uber fare.
5 hours or more: Take a 15-minute ride over to the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum on a retired aircraft carrier. Or if you have a bit longer than 5-6 hours and you’re in the mood for nature, head over to Tilden Regional Park in the Berkeley hills, and maybe stop by the UC Berkeley botanical gardens as well. That’s about a 25-minute drive.
Airport hotels
Oakland Airport does not have a hotel directly on-site. Among the hotels in the area, none are going to be standouts in particular, they are functional, average airport hotels of varying quality.
Downtown Oakland is typically about a 15-minute drive from the airport so you can find something with a bit more character while staying relatively close. For example, The Kissel Uptown Oakland, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, is easily better than all the hotels closer to OAK.
Catching a connecting flight at SFO?
I would never recommend planning a connection that requires getting from Oakland Airport to San Francisco International Airport. If you have no choice, BART or ridesharing is the best way to get there. BART will generally take about 70-80 minutes, while driving could be anything from 30 minutes with no traffic to two hours if things are bad.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
