Oakland airport changes its name. Again
Oakland airport changes its name. Again
On Friday, the Port of Oakland issued its most current name, emphasizing that its putting "Oakland first." In a press release, airport spokeswoman Kaley Skantz said the new name of the OAK airport is the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland's airport changed its name. Again.
On Friday, the Port of Oakland issued its most current name, emphasizing that it's putting "Oakland first."
In a press release, airport spokeswoman Kaley Skantz said the new name of the OAK airport is the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.
The Port Board will consider adopting the new name at its July 10 meeting.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: Travelers walk towards Terminal 2 at Oakland International Airport on April 12, 2024 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
"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," Craig Simon, director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland said in a statement. "‘Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport’ does both, putting Oakland first and highlighting our central location in the Bay Area for all visitors."
The name-change shuffle comes more than a year after the city of San Francisco sued Oakland for its plan to change the airport’s name from Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.
Port of Oakland considers possible name change for airport
The Port of Oakland, saying most people in the country don't know where the city is, has been exploring a name change for the Oakland International Airport.
In May 2024, Port of Oakland announced its desire to put Oakland as the fourth name in the title of the headline, arguing the name change would attract more nonstop destinations by boosting travelers' geographic awareness of the airport’s location on the San Francisco Bay.
San Francisco immediately sued, arguing Oakland was infringing on its copyright of SFO's name.
In November 2024, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson sided with San Francisco, saying that it is likely to prevail in the pending court case on the claim that the name change "falsely implies affiliation, connection and association" between the two airports, which go by the three-letter codes of SFO and OAK.
But The Town countered, filing an appeal, arguing no one owns the words "San Francisco Bay."
On Friday, the Port of Oakland acknowledged that their 2024 name-change proposal drew legal objections from the City and County of San Francisco.
It's unclear whether San Francisco will be satisfied with the latest twist. But if not, San Francisco patent attorney, Amir Adibi, of the Adibi IP Law Group, said he believes the city would have a strong case.
"Legally speaking, the issue is that San Francisco is still prominent. It’s the second part. It comes after Oakland, but it’s still there, and it’s still confusing for a consumer when they see Oakland San Francisco," said Adibi.
KTVU reached out to SFO and the San Francisco City Attorney to see their thoughts on OAK's newest name and to see if all legal action in the matter will be dropped.
SFO spokesman Doug Yakel held off on immediate comment before consulting with the airport's legal counsel.
And Jen Kwart, a city spokeswoman for the San Francisco City Attorney, her office just learned about this name change and "will assess any next steps to ensure San Francisco International Airport’s trademark is protected."