San Francisco Threatens to Sue if Oakland Airport Moves Forward With Planned Name Change

By Trisha Andrada

Apr 09, 2024 08:35 AM EDT

San Francisco is threatening to sue Oakland if it changes its airport name to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, citing potential confusion for travelers.

San Francisco Threatens to Sue if Oakland Airport Changes Name

According to ABC7 News, San Francisco International Airport opposes Oakland International Airport's proposal to add "San Francisco Bay" to its name.

In a letter to commissioners at the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport, on Monday, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said: "Should you continue in these efforts, I intend to pursue legal action to prevent your use of the proposed new name."

According to Chiu, the proposal to change the name of Oakland International Airport to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport" would infringe on the trademarks of San Francisco International Airport.

He argued that the San Francisco International Airport has been in operation since 1927, and its name has been used "throughout most of that history." However, on Monday, the Port of Oakland reaffirmed its support for the plan that aims to lure more travelers to the city.

"The proposed name modification will clarify, not confuse. The new name identifies where OAK is actually located, which is on the San Francisco Bay," the Port said in a statement.

"If the proposed name modification is approved by the Board, the Port will take all appropriate measures to defend its right to use this accurate geographic identifier," it added.

The Port of Oakland's board of commissioners is set to convene on Thursday to discuss the possibility of changing the airport's name.

Proposed Oakland Airport Name Change Is Receiving Mixed Feedback

San Francisco strongly opposes the proposed name change, while some Oakland city officials continue to support it. Oakland City Council member Noel Gallo said that adding San Francisco to Oakland International Airport's name will undoubtedly make it more appealing to tourists from other states and other countries.

However, travel industry analyst and marketing expert Henry Harteveldt said that could be exactly the issue. If approved, he believes the name change would confuse passengers, some of whom might even accidentally fly to the wrong airport.

"That's going to create frustration. It's going to create customer service problems for airlines... It risks leading to a lot of unhappy, frustrated travelers who could bad mouth the Bay Area as a result," Harteveldt said, as ABC7 News reported.