The airport is spreading cheer during the December holidays with festive terminal décor and its third annual gift-wrapping event
Oakland, Calif. – December 19, 2025: The December holidays have arrived at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK), and its terminals are looking merry and bright. The airport expects approximately 400,000 passengers to pass through the airport between Friday, December 19 and Monday, January 5. Based on airline schedule data, the busiest travel days are expected to be Monday, December 22 and Monday, January 5. In celebration of the holiday season, OAK will once again host a gift-wrapping station and hand out free treats for passengers on December 22 and 23.
“We thank all of the travelers who are choosing to fly OAK for the December holidays,” said Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Craig Simon. “In addition to all of the passenger experience improvements that have rolled out this year, we are especially excited for our community to enjoy our brand new OAK Guest Pass program this holiday season. We also look forward to our third year of hosting our post-security gift-wrapping station.”
Earlier this week, the airport launched its new OAK Guest Pass program. The program allows non-passengers to greet their arriving loved ones at the gate, join them at the gate before they depart, or visit one of the many restaurants or shops beyond the TSA security checkpoint. Non-passengers may apply online for an OAK Guest Pass in advance or on the same day they want to visit the airport. This is an excellent option for those who want extra time with their loved ones at the airport. Additional information is available at iflyoak.com/guest-pass/.
For the third consecutive year, OAK will host its post-screening gift-wrapping station in the connecting area between Terminals 1 and 2. The station will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 22 and Tuesday, December 23. Traveling with wrapped gifts is not recommended, as packages may be opened during the security screening process. The gift-wrapping station, operated by airport staff, helps passengers arrive at their holiday destinations with their gifts ready to go. Additionally, employees will be handing out free candy and popcorn to travelers that stop by.
Families traveling with little ones are encouraged to check out Agents of Discovery, an augmented reality game available throughout OAK’s terminals. A special holiday game is available at the airport on the Agents of Discovery app until January 1.
As always, the airport recommends arriving at least 2 hours prior to departure for domestic travel and 3 hours for international. In case of airline delays or cancellations, passengers should check flight status with their airline before coming to the airport.
Parking reservations guarantee entry to the parking lots, and travelers are strongly advised to make a reservation during the busy holiday season. Those who choose not to secure parking with a reservation can check OAK’s parking page ahead of the trip for lot occupancy rates and urgent “sold out” alerts. Reservations and parking availability information is available at iflyoak.com/park.
All airport concessions and hours of operation can be found here.