OAK Soars, Leading Bay Area Air Travel Recovery – 99 percent of flights completed over Memorial Day weekend
Smooth operations with passenger traffic reaching 92 percent of 2019
Oakland, Calif. – June 2, 2022: Oakland International Airport experienced a busy Memorial Day weekend this year, with departing passengers reaching 92% percent of pre-pandemic 2019 totals for the same holiday period. According to published security checkpoint throughput volume and as forecasted, the busiest travel days were Friday and Monday. On Monday, passenger throughput reached 92% of pre-pandemic totals, slightly higher than the 90% airport officials forecasted for the weekend. OAK continues to lead, by as much as 17.9 percent (on a percentage basis), the 3 major Bay Area airports for traffic recovery compared to 2019 levels, continuing the 24-month trend.
Despite widespread flight cancellations seen at some airports this weekend, flights at OAK had a completion rate of over 99 percent. This means that less than 1 percent of flights to and from OAK were cancelled during the holiday travel period.
“As we anticipated, Memorial Day weekend 2022 was a busy but smooth one here at Oakland International Airport,” says Bryant L. Francis, Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland. “I am proud of our airport team for their hard work ensuring that OAK travelers arrived at their destinations safely, easily, and on time. We are very pleased with the 99 percent completion rate and the level of passenger traffic, particularly as flight frequencies have increased for the holiday, which is an industry bellwether for the summer ahead.”
Compared to last year, Memorial Day departing traffic increased by approximately 20 percent year over year. Over six times as many passengers departed from OAK compared to Memorial Day weekend 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Oakland International Airport
Oakland International is the main airport for the greater East Bay, the most populated area in the metropolitan San Francisco Bay area. It is the closest airport to most Bay Area employers. By roadway and BART air-rail, OAK enables excellent access to all of the region’s business, entertainment and tourism venues. The vision of Oakland International Airport is to be the airport of choice for San Francisco Bay Area residents and visitors alike. OAK is operated by the Port of Oakland, which also oversees the Oakland seaport and 20 miles of East Bay waterfront. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 84,000 jobs in the region with more than a $130 billion economic impact.
Updates about travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, current departure and arrival information, airport maps, and details about on-airport parking, shopping and dining and more, can be found at www.oaklandairport.com.
Contact - Members of the Press and Media Only
Kaley Skantz – Airport Spokesperson
