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San Francisco International Airport leaders and elected officials are
pushing back on a plan to change the name of Oakland International
Airport.

The name under consideration? The San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. The airport’s code — OAK — and visual brand would not change, according to officials with the Port of Oakland, which runs the East Bay airport.

Oakland port commissioners will consider the name change at a meeting
April 11 as part of an effort to increase awareness of the airport’s
location among inbound travelers and, they hope, attract more routes to
and from Oakland, according to the Port of Oakland, which owns and
operates the airport.

SFO’s airport director, Ivar Satero, said the Bay Area’s largest and best- known airport is concerned the name change will cause confusion among
travelers booking flights and wants Oakland to leave the name of the city across the bay off of its airport.

“We are deeply concerned about the potential for customer confusion and disservice that could result from this proposed renaming,” he said. “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.”

San Francisco elected officials are also giving the proposal a thumbs-
down, saying it will confuse air travelers and accusing port officials of stealing their name.

“I’m delighted to know that San Francisco’s name is still sought after —
and that’s a lovely compliment,” said Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who plans to introduce a resolution opposing the change at
Tuesday’s supervisors’ meeting. “But that does not justify appropriating
the name we’ve used for almost 100 years.”

Peskin said his resolution will ask port officials to reconsider the
proposal.

Oakland port officials say the problem is that half of frequent
international travelers and nearly a third of domestic travelers are
unaware of the airport’s location. As a result, flights to Oakland haven’t performed as well as expected, making airlines reluctant to keep and add
new routes.

“Adding San Francisco Bay to the name will improve travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport and help us reach and succeed in new markets,”
port commission President Barbara Leslie said in a video announcement the
port posted to social media.

Leslie also presented the change as an important move for the future of
the airport, which provides more than 30,000 airport jobs and $1.6 billion
to Oakland’s economy.

Other elected leaders criticized the move. Sen. Scott Wiener, who
represents San Francisco, took aim at the proposed name change.

“I love Oakland, but Oakland is Oakland. It’s not San Francisco,” Wiener
said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Oakland’s airport should not be
cutting & pasting San Francisco International Airport into its name.
Please find another way to turn things around.”

Loren Taylor, a former Oakland council member who unsuccessfully ran for
mayor in 2022, said the port should spend its resources to improve the
city, not distance itself from it.

“What message does this give to other Oakland businesses and residents?
That ditching Oakland is the ideal path to making more profit? Instead,
let’s go all in on making Oakland a better, safer, and more vibrant city,” Taylor said on X.

The proposed modification follows a survey that was sent to 700 registered voters in Oakland last summer to collect feedback. Although a potential
new name wasn’t revealed at the time, the idea alone drew pushback even
then on social media.

The name change is part of a broader effort to improve passengers’
experience at the airport. Other efforts include upgrades to the Terminal
1 check-in lobby and restrooms, as well as new local concessions and restaurants.

If commissioners approve the new name, the port said it would work with airlines and other airports and agencies to reflect the name change in
airport and airline systems.

Reach David Hernandez: david.hernandez@sfchronicle.com. Reach Michael Cabanatuan: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/change-oakland-international- airport-name-to-sfo-19378510.php

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