Oakland Airport Reminds All To Finalize Thanksgiving Travel Plans

OAKLAND, CA —Oakland International Airport (OAK) is projecting over 360,000 passengers will pass through the airport during the eleven-day Thanksgiving holiday travel period from Friday, Nov. 17 through Monday, Nov. 27.

The best way to minimize stress over the holiday travel period is by finalizing those holiday travel plans now, a news release from the airport said.

According to airline schedules and past TSA throughput statistics, and with a 2.2 percent increase in travelers over the same period last year and 85 percent of the 2019 pre-pandemic traffic benchmark, the airport will likely be busiest on Friday, Nov. 17 and Wednesday, Nov. 22.

Monday, November 27th is projected to be the busiest day for post-holiday travel, the news release said.

"We always look forward to welcoming Thanksgiving holiday travelers that choose to travel through OAK," Craig Simon, Interim Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland, said. "We recommend arriving earlier than usual as the airport is expected to be busy. Additionally, to those who wish to conveniently Park OAK for their trip, we suggest reserving parking ahead via the airport’s website."

While the airport is still taking new parking reservations, room for non-reservation parking is limited.

"Reservations guarantee entry to the parking lots, so we strongly recommend making a reservation during the holidays," the airport said. "Booking ahead is also more affordable for Economy and Daily Lot parkers, who can get discounted rates when they stay more than five days."

According to the news release, if travelers choose not to secure parking with a reservation, they should check the parking website ahead of the trip for lot occupancy rates and urgent "sold out" alerts. Parking can be reserved on the airport's parking website by clicking here.

Travelers this Thanksgiving season should arrive at least two hours prior to departure for domestic travel and three hours for international.

"Additionally, passengers can save time by checking in for their flight before coming to the airport using the airline’s website or mobile application," the news release said. "In case of airline delays or cancellations, be sure to check flight status before coming to the airport as well."

In addition to making parking reservations and checking in for flights before arriving at the airport, Oakland International announced that new concession locations are now open and serving passengers.

New units introduced this year include OAK Clubhouse in Terminal 1, and Calavera and Southie in Terminal 2. All airport concessions and hours of operations can be found here.

Updates about current departure and arrival information, airport maps, and details about on-airport parking, shopping and dining and more, can be found by clicking here.