Southwest Airlines Flights from Philadelphia to Oakland

Southwest Airlines on this route

Southwest Airlines serves PHL–OAK through its hub network, usually with one connection. The nonstop flight time is about 5h 24m.

Fare classes available: Basic, Choice / Choice Preferred, Choice Extra. Southwest does not charge change fees on any fare; you pay the fare difference if the new flight is more expensive.

Recorded lows on PHL–OAK start at $368 one-way ($523 round-trip). That figure comes from cached search data and moves with demand, so treat it as a benchmark for what a good price looks like rather than a guaranteed fare.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both operate hubs at one end of this route, so nonstop or single-connection service is usually available, along with American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Our agents can book any of them and compare fare classes side by side.

2,505 miles is a serious flight, roughly 5h 24m nonstop, and it is the range where premium economy or a domestic first-class seat can be worth asking about, particularly on midweek departures when upgrade fares drop.

When to fly

Winter fares out of the Northeast peak around the holidays and February school breaks; late April to early June and September to early November are usually the calmest on price.

On this specific route our fare history shows November as the cheapest month and April as the most expensive, a spread of $375 between the two.

Midweek travel almost always beats weekends on price here. If your dates are flexible by a day or two, tell the agent; shifting a Friday departure to Thursday or a Sunday return to Monday is the single most reliable way to cut the fare.

For domestic travel, booking three to eight weeks ahead usually captures the best price. Inside two weeks, fares climb; more than four months out, airlines have not yet released their cheapest inventory.