San Francisco - Oakland Airport - Serious Scheduling Problems

I have been responsible for booking a significant number of people for a conference in Oakland next month and have suddenly realized the limited schedule for travelers coming from the east coast and many midwest cities. The problems can be traced to 3 issues - 1) the complete pullout of AA, 2) the elimination of service to ORD by UA, and 3) the absence of service to MSP or ATL on DL.

Of course, WN has lots of flights and if you are coming to OAK from a city served by WN, then it is not a problem. And there is little problem finding flights from west coast cities. But with DL connections limited to SLC, UA to DEN, and US to PHX, it can be difficult finding flights at times people wish to travel from many cities not served by WN and I have ended up having to book people into SFO from places like LEX, PWM, MDT, and MSN.

People complain a lot about the reduction in service at SJC, but none of the above bookings would have been a problem into SJC.

Meeting planners take note.

UA used to be one stop to the whole world - via IAD, ORD, LAX. I rarely fly OAK anymore because there aren't many places the non-WN flyer can go. If I do, it is usually AS via SEA. That's about it, save AS' new services to Hawaii.

I have ended up having to book people into SFO from places like LEX, PWM, MDT, and MSN.


For LEX-OAK: LEX-LAS on G4, LAS-OAK on WN

For PWM-OAK: PWM-JFK-OAK on B6

For MDT-OAK: MDT-IAD on UA, IAD-OAK on B6

For MSN-OAK: MSN-DEN-OAK on UA

See, each one of those is possible with only one stop.

I haven't checked prices or connection times, so you'll have to look into that yourself. Some of them might be expensive and require inconvenient layovers. But they are all possible.

Let's face it - OAK has become the "WN" airport. I'd say that compared to DAL or MDW it's got a pretty decent non-WN selection which seems to be matched well to the demand people have to fly out of OAK.

For LEX-OAK: LEX-LAS on G4, LAS-OAK on WN

For PWM-OAK: PWM-JFK-OAK on B6

For MDT-OAK: MDT-IAD on UA, IAD-OAK on B6

For MSN-OAK: MSN-DEN-OAK on UA

See, each one of those is possible with only one stop.

I haven't checked prices or connection times, so you'll have to look into that yourself. Some of them might be expensive and require inconvenient layovers. But they are all possible.

I am guessing that most of the attendees he/she is booking for have corporate travel and are not considering B6 or WN. As for alternatives have you considered SJC which has all the connections you are looking for.

I am guessing that most of the attendees he/she is booking for have corporate travel and are not considering B6 or WN.

Well, you can't really blame the airport for that. The attendees have a choice to make: if they are that adamant about sticking to their preferred airline/alliance, they can change planes twice, or fly to SFO/SJC and drive. You can't expect every city pair to have convenient service on the airline of your choice.

I am guessing that most of the attendees he/she is booking for have corporate travel and are not considering B6 or WN. As for alternatives have you considered SJC which has all the connections you are looking for.

The OP told us that the conference is in Oakland. No doubt that was a major factor in the choice of airport.

He also said that "none of the above bookings would have been a problem into SJC" so obviously he HAS considered it and already knows it has the connections he is looking for. @:-)

For LEX-OAK: LEX-LAS on G4, LAS-OAK on WN

For PWM-OAK: PWM-JFK-OAK on B6

For MDT-OAK: MDT-IAD on UA, IAD-OAK on B6

For MSN-OAK: MSN-DEN-OAK on UA

See, each one of those is possible with only one stop.

I haven't checked prices or connection times, so you'll have to look into that yourself. Some of them might be expensive and require inconvenient layovers. But they are all possible.

KW is correct - this is corp travel to a conference with a variety of constraints - the issue is not whether they are theoretically possible but whether the timing or procedures are workable for people traveling to a meeting.

1) Connecting between different airlines not an acceptable option to many travelers, can be a big hassle or risky with checked bags or if 1st flight is late.

2) Some of your routings offer only 1 option per day, including a redeye on B6. Not an acceptable option.

Examples,

1) LEX - G4 only flies to LAS 2 days a week.

2) MSN - 3 people coming from MSN needed a late afternoon departure out of MSN on a Saturday. UA has only a single morning departure from MSN to DEN on Saturday, and even on other days only an additional early afternoon departure.

3) PWM - B6 has only a single late evening arrival going west and only a single redeye going east.

4) MDT - I do not see a nonstop on B6 between OAK and IAD, only a single morning connection through LGB. So that would be a double connection using two airlines.

My office is very close to OAK but I find it an impossible airport to fly to - and a very unpleasant one to transit through.

I have found that going to SFO is massively easier for my travel needs. Depending upon where and when you are arriving at SFO take the San Mateo bridge rather than the Bay Bridge and the traffic will be significantly lighter. It will probably take only 45 minutes.

I would avoid SJC - traffic on I-880 between it and Oakland is horrible at any time, with accidents nearly every day clogging things up further. Also, whenever I have flown through it, there seems to be construction work slowing things down badly.

OAK can be great for nonstops, but I can't for the life of me recall anytime I've had a connecting itinerary starting from OAK (and I've been out here 22 years). It really isn't set up for that. As others note above, the scheduling frequency isn't there, and if anything goes wrong with your ex-OAK flight, your alternatives will be limited.

If you're ever in Southern California during our rainy season (which is right about now through March), OAK can be a much better alternative than SFO. When SFO has to go from two to one runways, the flights most impacted are the short ones from SoCal. OAK has only one runway, so it's less affected by the weather.

My office is very close to OAK but I find it an impossible airport to fly to - and a very unpleasant one to transit through.

I have found that going to SFO is massively easier for my travel needs. Depending upon where and when you are arriving at SFO take the San Mateo bridge rather than the Bay Bridge and the traffic will be significantly lighter. It will probably take only 45 minutes.

I would avoid SJC - traffic on I-880 between it and Oakland is horrible at any time, with accidents nearly every day clogging things up further. Also, whenever I have flown through it, there seems to be construction work slowing things down badly.

Easy to take BART to many places in the East Bay/Berkeley/Oakland from SFO.

Easy to take BART to many places in the East Bay/Berkeley/Oakland from SFO.

Agreed, although since they changed the schedules about a year ago, you have to change if you are going to Oakland or parts south of there. In all, it takes a good hour to Oakland from SFO, including waiting time for trains.

Agreed, although since they changed the schedules about a year ago, you have to change if you are going to Oakland or parts south of there. In all, it takes a good hour to Oakland from SFO, including waiting time for trains.

Unfortunately, that's right. BART between SFO and Oakland/Berkeley makes the most sense during rush hours and when you're staying near a station. Otherwise, I'd rent a car or take a shuttle van/taxi.

I also miss the busier days of OAK. UA used to have six flights a day to DEN, and F9 also flew into OAK. Now it's just down to 2 on weekdays on UA, and they aren't at ideal times either. The airport itself is a pit (last I recall), but it's so much easier to get to if you're in the East Bay.

OAK can be great for nonstops, but I can't for the life of me recall anytime I've had a connecting itinerary starting from OAK (and I've been out here 22 years). It really isn't set up for that. As others note above, the scheduling frequency isn't there, and if anything goes wrong with your ex-OAK flight, your alternatives will be limited.


I've been out here 26 years and can recall many connecting itineraries starting from OAK (not counting an occasional WN trip). They were primarily UA @ IAD (Europe) or ORD (Europe or anywhere else in the US). Even an occasional LAX connection to somewhere. My favorite connection was OAK/SFO/PHX in the late 80s, when UA was offering 3x miles and 750 mi minimums (2250 for the OAK/SFO segment, which was a quite scenic 5 minutes). I did that a couple of times, and OAK/PHX priced lower than SFO/PHX, and I was a poor student. I'm sure I had a handful of DEN connections, too.

The current state of affairs @ OAK is pretty sorry unless you are a WN traveler, or want nonstop service to a Hawaiian island

The current state of affairs @ OAK is pretty sorry unless you are a WN traveler, or want nonstop service to a Hawaiian island

Yep, those are exactly the two reasons we'll use OAK -- Southwest to somewhere nonstop, or Alaska to Maui.

OAK can be great for nonstops, but I can't for the life of me recall anytime I've had a connecting itinerary starting from OAK (and I've been out here 22 years). It really isn't set up for that. As others note above, the scheduling frequency isn't there, and if anything goes wrong with your ex-OAK flight, your alternatives will be limited.


+1 to EastBay1k

Back when AA and F9 served OAK, I flew any number of connections, including to Vienna, Rome, Colorado Springs, and Washington, DC. I used to fly OAK-DFW-MDW for the extra AAdvantage miles (over SFO-ORD) and the chance to fly a Fokker DFW-MDW.

Nowadays, WN and AS won't get me anywhere I want to go without at least one connection, so I'm still connecting. :p

+1 to EastBay1k

Back when AA and F9 served OAK, I flew any number of connections, including to Vienna, Rome, Colorado Springs, and Washington, DC. I used to fly OAK-DFW-MDW for the extra AAdvantage miles (over SFO-ORD) and the chance to fly a Fokker DFW-MDW.

Nowadays, WN and AS won't get me anywhere I want to go without at least one connection, so I'm still connecting. :p

That makes sense. I guess it's more that OAK doesn't work well for my connecting itineraries. I can see how it might work better for others.

Last year, I did OAK-DEN-LHR and back with good timings. But UA has been reducing DEN as well as OAK, so that doesn't work any more.

Last year, I did OAK-DEN-LHR and back with good timings. But UA has been reducing DEN as well as OAK, so that doesn't work any more.

I haven't flown any other airline but AS out of OAK for several years. Even flights including connections :) I don't even know why UA keeps the station open, unless they're selling a fair amount of high business fares to DEN.

KW is correct - this is corp travel to a conference with a variety of constraints - the issue is not whether they are theoretically possible but whether the timing or procedures are workable for people traveling to a meeting.

1) Connecting between different airlines not an acceptable option to many travelers, can be a big hassle or risky with checked bags or if 1st flight is late.

2) Some of your routings offer only 1 option per day, including a redeye on B6. Not an acceptable option.

Examples,

1) LEX - G4 only flies to LAS 2 days a week.

2) MSN - 3 people coming from MSN needed a late afternoon departure out of MSN on a Saturday. UA has only a single morning departure from MSN to DEN on Saturday, and even on other days only an additional early afternoon departure.

3) PWM - B6 has only a single late evening arrival going west and only a single redeye going east.

4) MDT - I do not see a nonstop on B6 between OAK and IAD, only a single morning connection through LGB. So that would be a double connection using two airlines.
Not sure what you want. Whoever picked the location didn't consider travel logistics, but it's too late for that. OAK's issues have been well known for years, not like the issues are new.

If the options at OAK don't meet your needs, book people to SFO and have car service take them to conference location. PITA but so be it.

Oakland airport's non-stop destinations are here:
http://www.oaklandairport.com/routemap.shtml

Have to agree that for those who cannot easily fly into OAK, flying to SFO and BART / rental car / shuttle or flying to SJC and rental car / shuttle would work, but be an annoyance.

Oakland airport's non-stop destinations are here:
http://www.oaklandairport.com/routemap.shtml


Huh? SATA International nonstops (seasonal) from Oakland to the Azores? Sounds like a joke. Anyone have a clue on how the heck that got started? Who in the world flies that route?

Whoever picked the location didn't consider travel logistics, but it's too late for that. OAK's issues have been well known for years, not like the issues are new.



They may be known to some locals but that is exactly my point and why I posted - to let people know who aren't locals that it is difficult to schedule flights to OAK from many midwest, southern, and east coast cities. That didn't used to be the case and unless someone has checked flight schedules recently, they may not be aware of the cutbacks.

As I also said, there has been a lot of publicity about the cutbacks at SJC, but the scheduling problems are not nearly as bad at SJC as they are at Oakland, primarily because AA still flies from SJC to both DFW and ORD and DL still flies from SJC to both MSP and ATL.

I have no personal investment in either airport, but I am just trying to make the point that one should check schedules carefully before setting up a conference.