I am wondering if anyone here has flown out of Oakland recently? My mom is flying out of there tomorrow and has not flown since pre pandemic. She was thinking if she arrived an hour before her flight left that that would be ok. I suggested at a minimum two hours. It is a domestic flight, just up here to Seattle, but she cannot miss the flight as it is for a family wedding. I am wondering how the security lines etc are. She does not have TSA pre, etc.
Posted by
Utah via SF Bay Area
363 posts
I fly in and out of OAK on a fairly regular basis and my hubbie is an uber SWA flyer out of OAK.
I would allow more time. The lines can be long. Is she checking a bag? If so, use the Sky cap. Do not tag the bag, the bag will be tagged by the sky cap. they will not accept tagged bags. I see this as a big time glitch because the baggage check lines can be very long. People will tag and then run outside and go to the sky cap. No go. Sky cap all the way with checked bags.
If she is flying SWA, and it's jammed, and no checked bags, go to terminal 1 where it is less jammed and go through that TSA checkpoint and then walk between terminals. If she is flying Alaska, then Terminal 1 would be her gates anyway. Terminal 1 is less crowded, though the Hawaii flights leave in the morning from T1 and I've noticed more and more people.
The TSA lines can be long-- especially early morning. It all depends on the time really and it's a Friday and Friday's tend to be more crowded.
Also check waze for any traffic glitches. 880 can be jammed.
OAK has elevated some of the waiting experiences. If she has the Amex Plat card she can use the Escape lounge near gate 8. Otherwise there good places to sit and chill with good coffee. I like the coffee place in T1 by the connecting hall to T2.
Posted by
Folsom
2732 posts
At least 2 hours. OAK has gotten better but with the current flying chaos and without TSA-Pre I might even say 3 hours and chill in a restaurant or lounge if it turns out I’m early. For a cannot miss flight an hour is not sufficient.
Posted by
OP
Snohomish, WA
2640 posts
Ok, that is what I was thinking. She is not checking a bag since she cannot chance her bag getting lost and she is flying Southwest. She has flown out of OAK hundreds of times, but not in the last few years and as she is getting older she is getting to be a more nervous traveler. I was guessing it would be like here at SEA where it can be a mess. Her flight leaves at 1:45 tomorrow, so I suggested she get to OAK by 11:45 at the latest. She has to make the flight as we are celebrating her birthday tomorrow night lol! The wedding is the next day.
Posted by
OP
Snohomish, WA
2640 posts
BTW, I truly appreciate the help! Thank you so much!
Posted by
18 posts
My friend and I flew Southwest from OAK to SEA three weeks ago - 7 a.m. flight, mid-week departure. No problems with long lines - we were at the airport at 5:30 and self-checked bags. If she's over 75 have her tell the TSA officer who checks her ID and they'll make life easier for her.
Posted by
OP
Snohomish, WA
2640 posts
Thank you Valerie! Yes, she just turned 80, so I will let her know.
Posted by
OP
Snohomish, WA
2640 posts
Update, she made it! Now to just endure the awful heat here in the gorge😉
Posted by
Utah via SF Bay Area
363 posts
Yea! I was wondering how your mom did. Hope the wedding went well!
Posted by
OP
Snohomish, WA
2640 posts
Mo, thank you. Yes the wedding was great, minus the heat, lol. It was 102 yesterday and the wedding was outside and at 5pm. So HOT! We got mom checked in for her flight back today so hoping there are no issues on this leg. But at least it’s returning home so nothing to fret over.
Posted by
New York, NY
4071 posts
Even pre-pandemic, I arrived at OAK at least two hours prior to my flight to JFK. I don’t remember the last time I only allowed one hour.