Oakland Attempts New Airport Name Second Time Since 2024

The Oakland International Airport proposed another new name change during the weekend, adding “San Francisco Bay” back into the name, albeit this time in a different place than before.

According to the Port of Oakland, the airport is now proposing that they be called the “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.” Like before, officials have wanted to spur more economic growth in Oakland, increase air travel at the airport, and generate critical revenue and visitor spending dollars. In addition, officials hope that the new name is tweaked just enough to avoid another lawsuit from San Francisco, as the new name no longer put San Francisco before Oakland like the first name change idea brought last year with the ‘San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.’

“We are proud to be a central gateway to the Bay Area, and we’re proud to embrace a name that reflects both our local roots and regional reach,” said Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland Craig Simon over the weekend. “‘Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport’ does both, putting Oakland first and highlighting our central location in the Bay Area for all visitors.”

“The current renaming places Oakland at the forefront of the OAK brand while informing travelers that Oakland is a convenient and logical starting point for travelers to the San Francisco Bay Area,” added the Port of Oakland. “The new name coincides with major renovations at the airport’s retail spaces and amenities that modernize and elevate the customer experience, and the launch of a host of Oakland- and East Bay-themed retail and restaurant concessions at OAK that showcase the airport’s pride in its local businesses and products.”

The first name change plan from “Oakland International Airport” to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” was released in late March 2024, as the Globe reported. According to Oakland Airport officials, the airport’s name is often confusing for travelers, as the name of the airport fails to give the impression just how close the airport is to San Francisco. That lack of understanding, according to airport officials, have also cost the airport major airline routes and passengers. While officials have said that the airport will not be changing their airport code away from OAK or any Oakland visual branding, it would create an overall identity change.

A second name change attempt for the Oakland Airport

San Francisco and San Francisco Airport officials swiftly denounced the name proposal, saying it would only confuse travelers with a mix up over the San Francisco Airport name. Many travelers would also likely book wrongly because of the name change, constituting lost connections and a long travel distance between airports.

A back and forth between the cities ensued, with Oakland claiming the name was more geographic than anything else. However, the name change proved to be very unpopular across the Bay, with groups like the NAACP and tech companies coming out in opposition. As the April 11, 2024 vote by the Port of Oakland neared, Chiu warned them that they would be filing a lawsuit if the name change was approved.

Despite the impending lawsuit and the majority of Bay area residents and lawmakers opposed to the name change, the Port of Oakland went ahead and approved the new name in mid-April 2024 in a unanimous vote. Less than a week later, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit against Oakland over trademark infringement. San Francisco then vowed to file a preliminary injunction.

Throughout this time, the name change confusion has led to many travelers being confused between the two airports, with some flying to Oakland instead of San Francisco to their detriment. Meanwhile, City and County of San Francisco v. City of Oakland and Port of Oakland continued to go through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with both parties agreeing to formal mediation. San Francisco even held off the injunction, giving Oakland the benefit of the doubt. However, the August 27th mediation ended up going nowhere, leading San Francisco to go back towards a preliminary injunction to stop the name change. This led to the filing of the injunction by Chiu in September and the U.S. District Court granting the injunction.

Ultimately, in November of last year, the new name was formally blocked by the court, with Oakland’s airport having to revert back to Oakland International Airport. Name confusion and Oakland taking San Francisco’s trademark were noted as major reasons in the decision. Port officials accused San Francisco of trying to stifle competition and said that the airport had a right to use the name as they were on the San Francisco Bay. They appealed, but this too was struck down. By early 2025, the name was back to Oakland International for the time being.

This led to the name change proposal over the weekend. However, it is not yet a done deal. The Port of Oakland Board will meet on July 10th to vote on the new name change. Even more important is how San Francisco reacts. Oakland officials hope by just mentioning San Francisco in the name following Oakland’s will be different enough.

“The port still believes that incorporating San Francisco into the airport’s name doesn’t infringe on the city’s trademark. The new name is both responsive to the court’s order and San Francisco officials’ concerns about the previous proposed name,” added Simon. “The new name doesn’t include the entire SFO title, and doesn’t start with San Francisco, but leads with Oakland.

“Many other airports use similar naming conventions to indicate geographic location or proximity. Given these changes, the city should not have any concerns about any purported potential for consumer confusion regarding the proposed name. The three-letter OAK code, and the I Fly OAK logo and branding would remain the same.”

As of Monday morning, San Francisco has yet to take any action against the new name, with city officials saying that they are currently looking into the matter.

“We are just learning about this development and will assess any next steps to ensure San Francisco International Airport’s trademark is protected,” explained San Francisco city attorney spokeswoman Jen Kwart over the weekend.

Should the new Oakland San Francisco International Airport name ultimately be approved, it will come into effect once all legal matter are settled.