Curbside Check-in Resumes at Oakland International Airport.

News Editors/Travel Writers

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 2001

Curbside check-in service is gradually returning to Oakland International Airport. Southwest Airlines, Oakland International's largest carrier with 123 daily nonstop departures, resumed curbside check-in today.

Continental Airlines resumed curbside check-in earlier this week and it is expected that America West, Delta and United will offer curbside check-in by next week. Airlines must comply with new federal regulations governing curbside check-in before they can reinstate the service for passengers.

"The ticket counters are becoming very congested as passenger and checked baggage volumes increase," said Oakland International Airport spokesperson Cyndy Johnson. "This service will help decrease the ticket counter congestion while maintaining the highest level of passenger and baggage screening."

Oakland International Airport officials recommend that passengers allow extra time for new security procedures -- at least two hours for check-in for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. Also, travelers are encouraged to check with their airlines for up-to-date information on schedules and check-in procedures.

Oakland International Airport served more than 10.6 million passengers and handled more than 700,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2000. Oakland International has nearly 200 daily flights on 13 domestic and international carriers to 31 nonstop destinations, including the Hawaiian Islands, the New York area, and several cities in Mexico.

New service in 2001 includes two daily flights to Las Vegas and four nonstop flights a week to Kona on Aloha Airlines; a nightly nonstop to Detroit on Spirit Airlines; one additional nonstop flight each to the New York area on JetBlue Airways and Continental Airlines; and two daily flights to Atlanta and three daily flights to Salt Lake City on Delta Air Lines. Southwest Airlines plans to inaugurate a daily flight from Oakland to New Orleans later this month. The airport is a revenue division of the Port of Oakland, an independent department of the city of Oakland.

Oakland International Airport has plans for a $1.5 billion expansion program known as the Airport Development Program (ADP). The ADP is an umbrella program for 18 expansion and improvement projects that includes the addition of 12 passenger gates, a six-lane parkway into the airport from I-880, a consolidated terminal building, and a multi-level parking facility. The ADP is expected to take five- to seven- years to complete after all legal issues are addressed.

Note to Editors: For more information on Oakland International Airport and for current traveler advisories, please visit the airport's web site at www.oaklandairport.com.