San Francisco Fumes Over Oakland Airport’s New Name

(Bloomberg) — Oakland, California, is slapping the name of “San Francisco” on its airport in hopes of borrowing brand awareness from its richer and more famous neighbor. San Francisco is having none of it.

The new name of Oakland’s air hub will be San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. The city’s Board of Port Commissioners reached a unanimous decision on Thursday evening to adopt the new moniker, emphasizing the airport’s close ties to the neighboring city of San Francisco.

But the move has infuriated officials across the bay, who argue it will sow “confusion and chaos” for travelers and infringe on the trademark of the region’s largest hub, San Francisco International Airport.

“We now have no choice but to take legal action,” David Chiu, San Francisco’s city attorney, said in a statement Friday.

The dispute underscores the longstanding rivalry between the Bay Area neighbors, which cuts across sports, politics and tax dollars. Oakland, the largest city in the area known as the East Bay, is trying to mount a comeback after losing all its professional sports teams and contending with heightened public-safety concerns. San Francisco, for all the talk of a doom loop of urban decay, remains a world-beating tech center and home to a stunning cityscape.

A Tale of Two Bay Area Airports | San Francisco doesn’t like the Oakland hub’s new name

Oakland’s mayor and other top officials shrug off the backlash and say the new airport name will raise awareness among foreign travelers about the city’s connections to San Francisco and the larger region. Officials also tout the support of carriers operating out of Oakland, such as Southwest Airlines Co. and Spirit Airlines Inc.

“We are standing up for Oakland and the East Bay,” said Barbara Leslie, president of the city’s port commission. “This will boost inbound travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport by highlighting the airport’s location on the San Francisco Bay.”

One thing won’t change about the two airports with “San Francisco” in their name. Among aviation geeks, Oakland’s hub will still be known by the three-letter code OAK. San Francisco’s airport, which is actually located outside the city in San Mateo County, will continue as SFO.

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