Southwest Airlines Inaugurates Oakland-Chicago Nonstop Service
Contact: Jack Lyness, 510-304-2411
OAKLAND, Calif. — Southwest Airlines will inaugurate nonstop, low-fare service between Oakland International Airport and Chicago’s Midway Airport on Sunday, April 7, with three flights a day.
Area Marketing Manager Kim Domerofski will be available in the Terminal Two baggage claim area on Monday, April 8, for a press briefing on the expansion of service. Passengers on the new flights on Monday will be greeted with Chicago skyline banners and balloons and a chance to play trivia games at the gate.
Southwest is the fifth airline to announce expanded service to the Midwest and East Coast from Oakland this year. American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines are offering additional service to the Detroit, New York and Washington, D.C. areas.
"Oakland’s central, convenient location to both business centers and residential communities is making it the preferred airport for travelers in the San Francisco Bay Area," said Director of Aviation Steven Grossman. "The airlines are seeing that passengers like our location, as well as the fact that we have fewer weather-related delays than other Bay Area locations and affordable fares. We are pleased to be working with Southwest to offer expanded service to our passengers."
Southwest’s new Chicago schedule is as follows:
Flight Depart Oakland Arrive Chicago
1235 6:50 a.m. 12:50 p.m.
312 10:45 a.m. 4:45 p.m.
118 4: 5 p.m. 10:25 p.m.
Flight Depart Chicago Arrive Oakland
292 7:30 a.m. 10:05 a.m.
144 1:20 p.m. 3:55 p.m.
899 5:20 p.m. 7:55 p.m.
Roundtrip fares range form $438 to $592.
Southwest Airlines now offers 123 nonstop departures to 18 cities nationwide from Oakland. It is the nation’s fourth largest domestic carrier in terms of customers boarded, serving 58 cities in 30 states and operating more than 2,700 flights a day.
Oakland International Airport served 11.4 million passengers and handled more than 600,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2001. Oakland International has more than 200 flights a day on 11 domestic and international carriers to 32 nonstop destinations. The airport is a revenue division of the Port of Oakland.
Oakland International is the only Bay Area airport with a dedicated shuttle bus that meets every Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system train at the nearby Coliseum station. On-airport parking rates are $18 a day in the long-term lot and $15 a day in the economy and overflow lots. For toll-free information assistance on ground transportation and parking services, call 1-888-IFLYOAK (435-9625) or visit the airport's Web site at https://www.oaklandairport.com.
