Oakland International Airport (OAK) is 4.6 miles (7.4km) from the city center of Oakland, California, and one of three airports serving the San Francisco Bay area.
Although not as popular with tourists as nearby San Francisco or San Juan, oak tree-lined Oakland has an interesting and diverse mix of cultures, with more than 100 languages spoken throughout its suburbs.
Popular with low-cost carriers, the airport saw a boom at the end of the last decade and is currently undergoing a much needed multi-million dollar upgrade to its two terminals. There are flights to Oakland International Airport mainly from destinations across the US. The busiest routes are those to major Californian cities as well as Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Portland. Terminal 2 is used exclusively by Southwest Airlines, with Terminal 1 used by all other carriers.
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<div class="rxbodyfield">The two terminals linked by a covered pedestrian walkway.<p>
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Train: There is no train station at the airport. You'll need to catch the airport shuttle bus No. 50 (AirBART) to the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART train station, which costs $3. From there, you can buy a one-way train ticket to stops across the bay area for between $2 and $4.
Bus: The AC Transit No. 73 bus runs from the airport to the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station and several other stops in Oakland, and leaves from outside the terminal building every 15 minutes or so until 8pm, and every half hour until midnight. The No. 805 operates from the airport to downtown Oakland every 30 minutes between midnight and 4:30am. A ticket costs $1.75 plus $0.25 if you're transferring to a train. You can buy tickets from the BART machines.
Taxi: There is a huge selection of taxis, limos and shuttle services available from Oakland.
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There are four parking options at Oakland International - Premier, Hourly, Daily and Economy. The Premier car parks, for VIPs, are closest to the terminal and cost $3 for every half hour for the first five hours and $36 for 5-24 hours. The Hourly lot is the next closest car park and is probably best for short-term or overnight parking. It costs $2 per half hour (up to 5 hours), or $32 for 5-24 hours. The Daily and Economy car parks are furthest from the terminal, but offer the cheapest parking at $2 per half hour with a daily maximum of $22 and $16 respectively.
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Money and communications: ATMs are dotted throughout the terminals.
Luggage: There is a lost-and-found desk in Terminal 1, which is open from 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, for items lost in the terminal. If you've lost luggage, contact the airline involved.
Conference and business: There's a business center in Terminal 1, between gates 8 and 10.
Shopping: Terminal 1 has a rather limited selection, with three newsagents and a duty-free store selling the usual selection of perfume, cosmetics, liquor, tobacco products and branded fashion and accessories. If it's shopping you're after, head for Terminal 2, which has a larger number of stores, especially in the departures area after security. In addition to newsagents, there's a sports clothing store, an electronics store, sunglasses and fashion accessories shops, a bookstore and a couple of confectionary shops.
Food and drink: There's not much choice in either terminal pre-security – just a Pizza Hut Express and a Heinold's First and Last Chance in Terminal 1, and Training Grounds (specialty coffee and sandwiches) in Terminal 2. After security in Terminal 1 there's just a couple of Starbucks and a Chili Too. The real choices are to be found after security in Terminal 2, where you'll find a host of coffee shops, two food courts with several fast-food joints and Mexican eateries, an ice-cream shop and a couple of pubs with beers on tap.
Other facilities: Shoeshine stands, US Mail postbox and public telephones.
Wi-Fi: There is free Wi-Fi access in both terminals.
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