It's Official: Oakland Port Once Again Votes to Change Airport Name to 'San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport'

The name Oakland International Airport is officially a thing of the past.

That’s after the Port of Oakland’s board of commissioners on Thursday evening voted unanimously, for the second time, to rename the airport San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.

Port officials estimate it will cost about $150,000 and take less than half a year to make new signage and stationery and for airlines and travel agencies to update their records.

However, that cost and timeline may change due to a legal challenge from San Francisco.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit in April — after the port board conditionally approved the name change — alleging that the new name infringes on the trademark of San Francisco International Airport, which the city owns and operates. Chiu now plans to seek a temporary injunction, which could prevent the implementation of the new name until the lawsuit is settled.

“I think any reasonable person who hears the airport names … will understand that those names are clearly similar and there will be a very high likelihood for confusion, and that is the standard for infringement when it comes to trademarks,” Chiu told KQED this week ahead of the vote.

Commissioners gave minimal input during Thursday’s meeting, except for Michael Colbruno, who addressed critiques that including San Francisco in the name would be misleading.

“San Francisco 49’ers is a great example, they’re in Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley. The San Francisco Music Box Company is located where? Kansas. The San Francisco Bread Company is located where? Arkansas,” Colbruno said.

Chiu has also previously said he believes the new name is a deceptive attempt by Oakland to profit from the billions of dollars SFO has invested in building its reputation and that the change would result in many travelers, especially foreigners, going to the wrong airport and missing their flights.

He noted that at least one international airline — Portugal’s Azores Airlines — has already started using the new name on its flight reservations system.

Notably, San Joaquin County supervisors attempted a similar move in 2017. They briefly considered renaming Stockton Metropolitan Airport to San Francisco-Stockton Regional Airport.

However, that plan was put on hold after SFO officials objected to the change.

San Joaquin Supervisor Tom Patti told KQED last month that San Francisco leaders also offered to help with marketing for Stockton’s airport, which contributed to the county’s decision to reverse course.

Patti added that although San Joaquin backed out, the change might still be beneficial to Oakland’s airport.

“I understand San Francisco wanting to guard their brand, and that’s very important to them, but in the end, it’s really not going to hurt the region,” Patti said.

During the board’s first hearing on the change, SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel voiced the airport’s opposition to the new name.

“We believe that this new name will ultimately be misleading to customers, creating greater confusion, disservice, and ill will,” Yakel said. “We see on a regular basis what can happen when a customer isn’t clear about which airport they’re booking travel to; we see it all of the time.”

But port officials have rejected those claims.

In a statement last month, Port of Oakland Attorney Mary Richardson said, “The Port’s proposed renaming does not infringe upon SFO’s mark. SFO cannot lay claim to the geographically-descriptive term ‘San Francisco,’ let alone claim exclusive rights to the San Francisco Bay.”

Richardson added that the port will take all reasonable measures to ensure clarity for travelers.

Some environmental groups are also against the renaming effort over concerns that increased traffic through the airport could mean increased pollution levels.

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and other trade groups based in the city, worried about the possibility of losing some business to Oakland, have also opposed the change.

Conversely, business groups in Oakland and the broader East Bay have generally cheered on the move, excited by the prospect that the new name will attract more travelers and increase business.

One public commenter, who said he conducts business in Asia, said Oakland’s airport is not easily found on foreign-language flight booking websites.

“If you google London, all the London airports show up. In San Francisco, that doesn’t happen,” he said.

A significant majority of public comments were opposed to the ordinance, many on environmental grounds.

“We oppose the ordinance, not for the name change in and of itself, but because the name change is part of the port’s strategy to expand airport operations, which will dramatically increase air pollution in East Oakland, a neighborhood with some of the worst air quality in the state due to decisions like this,” said Sarah Chen Small, an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment.

Spirit, Southwest and Volaris, three of the largest airlines operating out of Oakland, have voiced their support for the change.

“We fully support the Board of Port Commissioners proposal to rename the airport with the inclusion of San Francisco Bay in the name,” John Kirby, vice president of network planning for Spirit Airlines, said during the April hearing. “We believe this change will make our flights more discoverable and are a better representation of [Oakland’s] easy access to San Francisco.”

Port officials have said those three airlines could be the first to work with the airport to expand flights and destinations.

This story includes reporting by KQED’s Matthew Green.