The Port of Oakland unanimously voted in favor of changing the name of Oakland’s airport from “Oakland International Airport” to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” on Thursday, with the Port later countersuing San Francisco over trademark infringement while San Francisco vowed to file a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop the name change from legally happening.
The name change plan from “Oakland International Airport” to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” was released in late March, 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.
However, San Francisco and San Francisco Airport officials quickly 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 such as the NAACP and many tech companies coming out in opposition. As the April 11th vote by the Port of Oakland neared, Chiu warned them that they would be filing a lawsuit if the name change was approved.
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