Oakland airport wants you to chill out before and after security

Oakland International Airport wants you to calm down. That’s why it’s playing host to the first West Coast comfort zone at its security checkpoint in Terminal 2.

While you’re waiting in line you can watch soothing videos on three 15-foot-wide screens, listen to lilting music, enjoy subdued lighting and check on wait times.

After you pass through security, feel free to kick back on a soft seat in a living room-style spot while gathering your belongings.

Oakland is the fourth airport nationwide and the first in California to receive what’s called the Experience Zone, a “recomposure” area transformed and sponsored by Marriott’s SpringHill Suites.

The branding is ubiquitous, which isn’t surprising given that it costs $500,000 for each space. (Airports don’t bear any of the costs.)

In 2013, the zones were part of a pilot program at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Texas and Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina. DFW reported that lines moved about 25% more quickly with the recomposure area.

And the airport said the checkpoint area was quieter too.

This year Oakland and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) currently have the zones.

Oakland’s space opened before the holidays, and there’s no timetable as to how long it will remain at Terminal 2, which houses Southwest Airlines, a spokeswoman says.