Oakland International Airport may add “San Francisco” to the airport’s name to attract more passengers, but neighboring airports across the bay are slamming the potential rebranding.
The Port of Oakland commission is scheduled to take up the issue at Thursday’s meeting.
Oakland airport officials say travelers unfamiliar with the area will fly into San Francisco, even if their destination is closer to the East Bay airport. Changing the name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport would change things, they say. His three-letter code OAK for the airport remains unchanged.
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“Market research and interviews with partner airlines show that routes are not performing as well as they should due to a lack of geographic awareness, and airlines are reluctant to maintain routes or add new routes in Auckland. “It’s become a target,” said Craig Simon of the Port Authority. Auckland’s interim aviation director said in a statement.
He said the airport, officially known as Metropolitan Auckland International Airport, had lost 39 of the 54 new routes added between July 2008 and March 2024.
But the potential name change has horrified San Francisco officials, who say it would confuse travelers, especially those flying in from overseas. San Francisco Airport Director Ivor C. Satello said he was “deeply concerned” about the potential for customer disruption and reduced service. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu on Tuesday threatened to sue if Oakland officials pursue the name change, arguing that it would infringe on the city’s trademark for “San Francisco International Airport.”
Travelers prepare to enter Oakland International Airport on November 26, 2013 in Oakland, California. Oakland’s airport is considering changing its name to include “San Francisco” to attract more passengers, but San Francisco officials argue the change would confuse travelers. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
San Francisco has “held these registrations for so long that they cannot be contested under federal law,” Chiu said in a letter to various Oakland officials.
“Consumers may either misunderstand the physical location of Oakland International Airport (i.e., that it is in San Francisco rather than Oakland) or they may misunderstand that there is a formal relationship or connection between the two airports that does not exist. “Maybe,” he added.
Last week, San Francisco Board of Supervisors Chairman Aaron Peskin opposed the name change and filed a resolution asking the Port Commission to veto it.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, said on the TV show “X” that airports should not “cut and paste” San Francisco’s name.
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“I love Oakland, but Oakland is Oakland. It’s not San Francisco,” he wrote. “Find another way to turn the situation around.”
However, other users of X pointed out that San Francisco’s airport is actually located in Millbrae, a city in San Mateo County.
One person quipped, “When are the 49ers going to change their name? #SantaClara.” The San Francisco 49ers play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, a suburb of San Jose and approximately 72 miles south of San Francisco.
