Port commissioners vote to finalize Oakland airport's new name

Port of Oakland approves airport renaming

The Port of Oakland commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to finalize the Oakland airport's new name, airport officials say.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Port of Oakland commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to finalize the Oakland airport's new name, airport officials say.

Name change

What we know:

Renaming Oakland's airport has been a point of contention, mostly with San Francisco International Airport (SFO), for more than a year when Oakland began toying with the idea of rebranding their airport's name.

The name, Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, is a second choice after the airport gave San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport a whirl in May 2024. At the time, officials with Oakland's airport argued that putting San Francisco in the name first would draw more tourists who don't know that Oakland is near wine country.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: A traveler walks through Terminal 2 at Oakland International Airport on April 12, 2024 in Oakland, California. The Board of Commissioners for the Port of Oakland voted on Thursday to proceed with a plan to change the n

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Now, with Oakland being named first, they are still saying putting Oakland first will boost economic activity for the city and region.

Thursday's vote was a second reading at the Port of Oakland's board meeting. Earlier this month, a new name was introduced. The airport inched one step closer to settling on the new name, but SFO was still not pleased.

"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 Craig Simon, director of aviation at the Port of Oakland.

In their news release, OAK airport touted their new nonstop flights to destinations in Mexico including Los Cabos and Zacatecas. The renaming of OAK airport also coincides with renovations of the airport's retail spaces as well as the launch of Oakland and East Bay-themed concessions, restaurants and retailers, airport officials said.

SFO not having it

Earlier this month, SFO airport spokesperson Dough Yakel, said airport officials object to OAK's renaming, arguing that it "sows confusion and capitalizes on San Francisco's brand."

OAK officials had countered that the new name focuses on the San Francisco Bay, not necessarily the city of San Francisco.

The dispute had previously led to a lawsuit. San Francisco sued and said Oakland was infringing on its trademark name. A judge ended up siding with San Francisco, saying the name change falsely implied some sort of affiliation between the two airports. This led to OAK's reconfiguring of their originally proposed name.

KTVU had reported that the Port of Oakland never withdrew its San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport name in court.

A legal expert told KTVU that OAK is likely to run into more legal trouble even with Oakland being first in the new name of the airport.

We reached out to San Francisco's city attorney's office for their reaction. They said they were "disappointed" that the Port of Oakland is "capitalizing" on SFO's "globally recognized brand."

"Once again, Oakland announced another renaming proposal just days prior to taking a vote instead of having a good faith conversation with San Francisco. But this year’s name, like last year’s name, invites traveler confusion and risks jeopardizing the brand identity we have built through decades of investment and service to the region," Jen Kwart, communications director with City Attorney David Chiu's office, said.

"Meanwhile, despite this most recent renaming, the Port continues to defend last year’s ‘San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport’ name in court, which contradicts its stated goal to put ‘Oakland first’. We remain committed to working with them to find an alternative name that addresses their stated concerns while respecting our intellectual property rights," the city attorney's office statement continued.

Travelers' reactions

In our previous coverage, some travelers said they are all for change and were OK with the name. However, some remained skeptical that the new name would take off.

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