The Port of Oakland, which operates Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK), wants to add “San Francisco” to its official name to raise awareness about its location on the San Francisco Bay.
If the plan goes forward, the new name will be San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport instead of Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK).
The airport code OAK and the airport’s visual branding will stay the same.
“Market research and interviews with airline partners have shown that routes have not performed as well as they should have due to the lack of geographic awareness, making air carriers reluctant to sustain and add new routes in Oakland,” said Port of Oakland Interim Director of Aviation Craig Simon.
Here’s a short video explaining OAK’s name modification plan. Port Commissioners will vote on the plan at their April 11, 2024, Port Board meeting. If they approve it, OAK staff will start moving forward with the formal renaming.
SFO: “Not so fast, OAK”
As you may imagine, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) isn’t happy with another airport adding ‘San Francisco’ to its name.
“SFO has operated since 1927 and has used the name ‘San Francisco Airport’ or ‘San Francisco International Airport’ for most of its history, making it immediately recognizable to customers,” SFO director Ivar C. Satero said in a release. “Given this history, we anticipate the new name being considered by the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport will cause confusion for the public, either through a misunderstanding of its physical location or its perceived relationship to SFO. This concern is only compounded considering SFO’s status as a major international gateway.”
What do you think? Should SFO and OAK both have “San Francisco in their names?
The post Is it OK for both SFO & OAK airports to have ‘San Francisco in their names? appeared first on Stuck at the Airport.
