The East Bay in northern California refers to the counties and cities on the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay and includes, among many other cities, Oakland, Berkeley and Fremont. If you're planning a trip to the East Bay, you can choose to fly into and depart from several airports, including Oakland's International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

Oakland International Airport

Several airlines fly into Oakland International Airport (flyoakland.com). These include Alaska Airlines, Allegiant, ArkeFly, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Sata, Southwest, Spirit, US Airways and Express and Volaris. Annually, the airport accommodates 9 to almost 15 million travelers and in 2009 had the most on-time arrivals among the 40 busiest airports in North America. The airport is conveniently located in the East Bay area for those traveling there.

San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (flysfo.com), often referred to as SFO, lies about 23 miles from the East Bay. It is the second busiest airport in California after Los Angeles' LAX and annually is one of the 10 busiest airports in the United States. As the biggest airport in the Bay area, it serves major domestic and international airlines, including AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air China, Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Korean Air, KLM, Southwest, United, United Express, US Airways, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic and others.

Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport

The Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (flysanjose.com), a city-owned airport in San Jose is about 40 miles from the East Bay. The airport serves several major airlines, including Alaska Airlines, ANA, American Airlines, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, United Airlines Express, US Airways and Volaris. The airport is conveniently located near three major California freeways -- the 101, 880 and 87 -- and provides travelers with free Wi-Fi in all of its terminal buildings.

Sacramento International Airport

Although a bit far from the East Bay, Sacramento International Airport (sacramento.aero/smf) -- approximately 121 miles from Oakland in Sacramento -- is the fourth closest commercial airport to the East Bay area. This is a convenient option for travelers planning to make a trip through California's wine country before heading to the East Bay. The airport serves several major airlines, including Delta, United Airlines and United Express, US Airways, Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air and JetBlue.

About the Author

Christine Kim has been a writer and editor since 2002, working with Columbia University, Harvard Business School and University of Alabama Press. She holds a Master of Arts in interdisciplinary studies and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.

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