The Oakland International Airport is considering adding “San Francisco” to its name in an effort to attract more passengers, but this potential change has been met with strong opposition from officials in San Francisco. The Port of Oakland’s Board of Commissioners will address the issue during their meeting on Thursday.
Airport officials in Oakland believe that many travelers who are unfamiliar with the region choose to fly into San Francisco’s airport, even when their destination is actually closer to the East Bay airport. They think that changing the name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport will help solve this problem, although the airport’s three-letter code, OAK, would remain the same.
“Market research and interviews with airline partners have shown that routes have not performed as well as they should have due to the lack of geographic awareness, making air carriers reluctant to sustain and add new routes in Oakland,” said Craig Simon, the Port of Oakland’s interim aviation director, in a statement.
He noted that the airport, officially known as the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, lost 39 out of 54 new routes added between July 2008 and March 2024.
However, San Francisco officials are strongly against the proposed name change, arguing that it will confuse travelers, especially those arriving from other countries.
Ivar C. Satero, director of San Francisco’s airport, expressed deep concern over the potential for customer confusion and disservice. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has even threatened to sue Oakland officials if they move forward with the name change, claiming it would infringe upon the city’s trademark on “San Francisco International Airport.”
Chiu argues that San Francisco has held these registrations for so long that they have become incontestable under federal law. He believes that consumers will either misunderstand the physical location of Oakland International Airport, thinking it’s in San Francisco, or mistakenly believe there is a formal connection between the two airports when there isn’t.
Aaron Peskin, president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, introduced a resolution last week opposing the name change and requesting that the port commission reject it. State Senator Scott Wiener, representing San Francisco, also criticized the idea on social media, stating that Oakland shouldn’t be “cutting & pasting” San Francisco’s name and urging them to find another way to improve their situation.
Despite the backlash, some people have pointed out the irony in San Francisco’s opposition, noting that San Francisco’s airport is actually located in Millbrae, a city in San Mateo County, and that the San Francisco 49ers play in Santa Clara, about 45 miles south of San Francisco.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.