At a time when airlines and airports are struggling, Oakland Airport welcomed low-cost carrier Frontier to its gates Thursday.
The airport’s big tenant, Southwest, is expected to expand service in the spring. With widespread coronavirus vaccinations expected by the fall, airport officials are gearing up for post-pandemic operations.
Oakland is still only seeing about a third of its usual passenger load.
"2021 is going to be a year of rebuilding," said Bryant Francis, director of aviation at the Port of Oakland, which is responsible for day-to-day operation of Oakland International Airport.
Francis told KCBS Radio that Southwest remains the big tenant with almost 85 percent of all flights.
"But it’s always great to diversify a bit to offer some competition to the traveling public," he said. "Frontier has been at other airports surrounding us for a while now, so we’re happy to finally have them landing here."
Adding in expanding Southwest service to Tucson, Santa Barbara and Palm Springs, Oakland is looking to resolidify its place as a domestic hub after losing American Airlines - which pulled out last August - and international airlines like Norwegian and British Airways in recent years.
While it has been 15 years since the airport has seen any major expansion, it’s launching a look at post-pandemic travel and the possibility of a third terminal.
"What will we need for baggage claim and ticketing functions? What will we need for additional gate capacity so that additional flights can operate in the airport?"
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