Accusations fly as Port of Oakland refuses to give up on fight to add 'San Francisco Bay' to its name

Chase Hunter, Bay Area News Group on Dec 13, 2024

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The Port of Oakland, operator of Oakland International Airport, has appealed a district court ruling against changing the name of its airport to the “San Francisco Bay Oakland Airport” — an effort by port officials to attract more travelers to the East Bay transportation hub.

The court filing is the latest chapter in a months-long dispute between the Port of Oakland and San Francisco International Airport over the potential name change to Oakland’s airport, which port officials have said will expand airline consumers’ awareness of its location in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In May, port commissioners unanimously voted in favor of changing Oakland International Airport’s name to the “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.” The decision was met with condemnation from SFO and its legal team, who filed suit against the name change. They claim it is confusing to travelers who are seeking out SFO, and infringes on the San Francisco airport’s copyright.

A Northern California District Court ruled against the Port of Oakland on Nov. 12, rejecting the name change. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixon agreed with SFO, writing in his decision that Oakland International Airport’s rebranding effort would lead travelers to believe that Oakland Airport was also operated by the same authority as San Francisco International Airport, adding that SFO would “suffer irreparable harm” as a result.

Port of Oakland officials, however, deny SFO’s accusations — and have fired back with a few of their own.

“The Port has no interest in passing off OAK as SFO. OAK is distinctly and proudly Oakland,” Port of Oakland attorney Mary Richardson said in a statement. “This lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to stifle competition and travel choices for the Bay Area.”

Richardson also accused SFO officials of “trying to relegate OAK and Oakland to second-class citizens.”

In their appeal, Oakland airport officials contended that the majority of evidence produced by the city and county of San Francisco – which operates SFO – was not “factual of legal evidence” to support the court’s ruling. In a news release, they cited a “confusion survey” submitted to the court by SFO which included fictional screenshots of airline booking pages. The court declined to consider the “confusion survey” as part of its judgment.

Director of Aviation Marketing & Development at SFO Melissa Andretta said permitting the Oakland airport to incorporate “San Francisco Bay” as part of its name would not only mislead the public when purchasing airline tickets but also harm SFO’s brand, adding that issues at the Oakland airport could be mistakenly attributed to the city of San Francisco and SFO. While Oakland is the closest major airport for 58% of Bay Area residents, SFO sees approximately three to four times the number of passengers annually, according to data from the two airports.

“Oakland has much lower customer satisfaction than SFO, evidenced by their lower performance in customer service surveys,” Andretta stated in a Nov. 12 court filing. “By adopting the trademark San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, Oakland is trading on our goodwill and brand recognition, leading travelers to believe that our airports are the same or related to one another.”

However, Richardson countered that “OAK is distinctly and proudly Oakland.” For port commissioners, the fact that “OAK literally sits on the San Francisco Bay” is reason enough for the name change.

Richardson affirmed the Port of Oakland’s commitment to doing what its commissioners feel is best the brand, and the port’s news release noted its effort to upgrade the Oakland Airport’s terminals, add new dining options and expand concessions at the airport. Whether a name change will be added to those new features will be up to a court decision in the coming months.