San Francisco Seeks Court Order to Block Oakland Airport’s New Name

The battle of Bay Area airports is heating up again.

Months after Oakland officials renamed the city’s airport to lead with a reference to the San Francisco Bay, sparking a legal battle between the two cities, the San Francisco city attorney’s office has filed a motion for an injunction to halt the rebranding.

“When we filed our lawsuit in this area, we warned Oakland that their renaming would cause confusion. Airlines warned them, even Oakland residents were opposed to what they were doing,” City Attorney David Chiu said Tuesday. “We are now seeing actual confusion occurring in real life. This was entirely predictable and preventable, and unfortunately, we’ve had no choice but to file this motion to protect our brand.”

The preliminary injunction requested by Chiu’s office would stop Oakland from using the new name until the court rules on a lawsuit filed by San Francisco.

In April, Oakland’s Board of Port Commissioners unanimously voted to change the name of the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, which officials said was an effort to increase geographic awareness. A week after the board approval, San Francisco sued Oakland, alleging that the new name infringed on its trademark and would confuse travelers, especially non-English speakers.

The lawsuit seeks to stop Oakland from using the new airport name, destroy physical and digital materials that display it, and pay damages and fees that may be related.

Chiu told KQED in April that his office believed “Oakland intentionally designed their new rename to divert those who were unfamiliar with Bay Area geography and also is trying to mislead the public in suggesting that Oakland might have a business relationship with SFO, which it does not.”

The change has already led to individuals booking flights to SFO when they intended to travel to Oakland, rideshare services directing people to the wrong location, and social media posts questioning the relationship between the two airports, Chiu said.

OAK has already changed its website to reflect the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport name and Port of Oakland spokesperson Robert Bernardo said rebranding efforts — including signage changes and asking airlines and travel agencies to update their records — “have been ongoing” and are either complete or in progress.

Oakland also filed its own suit in May, after its Board of Port Commissioners’ second vote officially approved the rebranding and set it in motion, asking for a court declaration that affirms the legality of the new name.

Officials said San Francisco has not yet responded to this lawsuit. Chiu said it would be “at the appropriate time.”

Port of Oakland attorney Mary Richardson said in a statement that Oakland added “San Francisco” to its name to increase geographic awareness but will continue to use the OAK airport code, distinct branding, and “I Fly OAK” logo.

“This is not and has never been about SFO or confusion,” she said. “It’s about bringing awareness to travelers about the choices they have when traveling to and from the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.”

She said Oakland would continue to “aggressively fight for its position on the San Francisco Bay.”