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Travelers walk toward Terminal 2 at Oakland International Airport on April 12, 2024 in Oakland. Months after Oakland’s airport became the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, officials in the city across the Bay Bridge are ramping up their legal battle. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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.”
