My girlfriend will be flying from OAK on Monday 31st Jan at about 10 in the morning. I've read everything on here about getting from central SF to OAK, so naturally I'm not overjoyed at the prospect. The flight is at 10, so originally we were looking to leave SF from Powell BART at about 8am.

I've seen many references to "peak" hours being very bad for getting to OAK and also about security at OAK. But which hours count as peak on a Monday morning? As it would appear that the timetable on the BART website may be overoptimistic - How long should I leave to get to OAK by 9AM latest? And are there cabs at Colliseum if AirBART lets me down?

I realise that SFO may have been an easier option - but SFO is also 3 times more expensive to my destination and was therefore not an option

Many Thanks

You should be fine if at Powell St. BART by 7:45 AM. The AirBart shouldn't let you down at that time but count on 15 mins. to get to OAK once the bus leaves Coliseum BART. For AirBart you'll need a $2 BART ticket per person or buy a ticket at the special machines just inside the Coliseum station.

You did not say what airline will be used on the 31st. IIRC, some of the heaviest security times are 6 to 8 AM at Terminal 2 for Southwest. At Terminal 1, which can also be busy 6-8 AM, employees periodically check the lines and will pull up people at peak periods who have tight connections. Am not as familiar with Term. 2.

If the check-in process is simple (no upgrade issues, just automated check-in; carry-ons) you could possibly board BART by 8. I wouldn't push it though as rarely, there is a BART delay possibility.

Keep in mind that at OAK, you may enter security at either T1 or T2, regardless of which terminal your flight departs from. If the security line looks terribly long at one terminal, you might want to take a short walk over to the other.

Ok I would shudder for a visitor to the Bay Area arrive at that BART station...BUT...that being said good luck with that...stow all valuables out of plain sight....

As for Peak at OAK...well I have been there very late at night 11pmish and that place was mobbed....because the Cross country flights usually arrive about that time...and early the AM because they return back east in the AM....

The AirBART bus will now take cash (exact change). They still have the ticker machines inside.

The answer to this question is NO, there are not usually any cabs around that Bart station. AirBart has been somewhat better as of late but, when it's not running, expect to see locals asking for $20 to get you to the terminal in their personal car. I would not advise accepting this offer.

It's also nice to know that AirBart now accepts cash. It seemed that, for a while, every time I got on to AirBart the driver was threatening to call the police on someone who deposited cash while the driver sat reading the paper. Or, the driver would send someone out to the vending machines to buy a ticket and leave just before they could get back to the bus. AirBart, along with nearly everything associated with the Oakland airport, is truly a 'unique' experience.

Thanks for the update about AirBART. It's always a hassle jamming the money into the machine.

That's not guaranteed. I've seen over-zealous airport staff direct people to their proper terminal. It's riskier if you're on a non-WN flight trying to go through T1. You could end up wasting more time if you get turned away.

Wow -- I've never heard of that. Did you mean riskier on a non-Southwest flight trying to go through T2? All of the non-WN flights depart from T1. Southwest also has a few gates in T1.

I concur - the prior statement makes no sense at all. Most of the Vegas flights on WN depart from T-1. I have a hard time believing that the outsourced TSA ticket checkers have memorized the departure schedule, much less that they can even read the ticket.