They should be ashamed

The Oakland International Airport did not break any laws or regulations when it denied 200 Marines and soldiers access to the passenger terminal during a layover last year from Iraq to the troops' home base in Hawaii, the Transportation Department says.

This story appears in The Washington Times.

The contract to allow military layovers at the California airport "did not require that military personnel have access to the airport terminal; it only required that military personnel be allowed to deplane and stretch their legs on stops lasting over one hour."

Airport officials were concerned that the flight's ground staff could not provide "an adequate level of escort and control of such a large group of military personnel in or around the terminal area," the inspector's report said.

These are Marines who have been in harms way, they can escort themselves through your pissant airport (pictured below) and the scientific community is united in that fact.

It almost looks like it was bombed.

Here's one guys review of the his Oakland airport experiences.

Here's the press release the airport put out in October, after the SNAFU and here's their response to the DOT's report

I have yet to fly Oakland (OAK), I returned from Maui through San Francisco (SFO), but I have priced Maui flights through there.

Without a doubt it'll be off the list for future flights.

Heads should roll.

I'll be e-mailing their contact, rbarnes@portoakland.com, to let them know of my displeasure.