Oakland airport name change incorporating San Francisco approved

Phil Mayer
·2 min read

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners unanimously voted Thursday to approve the city’s airport changing its name to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”

“Our Board came to these discussions with a shared love of Oakland and a desire to see our city and airport thrive,” said Port Commission President Barbara Leslie. “Since our initial vote, the Port has met with dozens of community leaders and stakeholders and heard their concerns. We are moving forward with a commitment to honoring our past while building a stronger, more inclusive future.”

SF Bay Ferry commits to major East, South Bay expansions

The approval comes as the City of San Francisco is suing the City of Oakland over the controversial name change, claiming it would be a “false designation of origin.” The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office released a statement after Thursday’s vote was completed:

“It is disappointing that Oakland chose to ignore our multiple offers to collaborate on alternative names and avoid litigation. We have no choice but to move forward with next steps in our trademark lawsuit.”

The Port of Oakland said Thursday that it responded to San Francisco’s lawsuit with one of its own. It hopes a court will rule that the new name does not infringe upon SFO’s trademark.

The airport will move forward with the name change and update its branding despite the lawsuit. Even after the name change, the airport will keep the three-letter code of “OAK.”

The reason for the name change is because the Oakland Port Commissioners say people do not realize Oakland is located in the Bay Area, which limits the amount of routes that airlines will bring to the airport.

“The convenience and ease of traveling through OAK won’t change with our name,” said Interim Director of Aviation Craig Simon. “OAK is the closest major airport to 58 percent of the Bay Area population. The combined population of the counties closest to OAK is 4.1 million compared with 1.5 million in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. This designation will let the world know who we serve.”

The Port Commissioners previously voted in favor of the name change on April 11. They consulted more people before conducting another vote on Thursday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.