The strange legal battle between San Francisco and Oakland heats up

The strange legal battle between San Francisco and Oakland heats up

After Oakland changed the name of its airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International, the fight between the cities has gotten intense.

BY Chris Morris

Rappers aren’t the only ones with beef. Last week, Oakland officially changed the name of its airport to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.” And the fight (and snark) over the changes is seemingly just getting started.

San Francisco is staunchly against the name change, going so far as to sue the city of Oakland on April 18, saying the name change infringes on trademarks the city of San Francisco holds on San Francisco International Airport. Oakland has fired back at that, filing a counterclaim last Thursday, asking a U.S. District Court judge for a declaratory judgment to shut down the trademark tiff, saying their neighbors do not have the rights to the use of “San Francisco Bay.”

Despite the name change, the airport’s code (OAK) is unchanged and the visual branding on the destination will stay the same, but San Francisco officials worry that passengers unfamiliar with the area, especially those flying in from other countries who do not speak or read English, will be caught in the middle.

“[The name change] will very likely cause widespread confusion, mishaps, and economic loss for travelers, to the detriment of both airports and the Bay Area overall,” said the San Francisco City attorney’s office the night before the name change was made official. “The renaming plan appears intentionally designed to divert travelers who may be unfamiliar with Bay Area geography and lead them to believe OAK has a business relationship with SFO, which it does not.”

Oakland officials say they hope the new name will attract more nonstop flights, giving travelers more visibility to an option that is close to San Francisco. (Driving from the Oakland airport to downtown San Francisco is about a 45-minute drive. And the two airports are essentially equidistant from Silicon Valley.)

“The San Francisco’s City attorney’s decision to pursue litigation is an attempt to stop consumer education, prevent expanded air travel options for Bay Area residents and visitors, and is a misguided use of San Francisco taxpayer dollars,” said Port of Oakland attorney Mary Richardson in a statement. “OAK is committed to enhancing its airline routes and increasing competition for the benefit of all San Francisco Bay Area’s visitors and residents, including those residing in the City and County of San Francisco. We stand ready and willing to partner with SFO to increase choices for travelers and invite any productive dialogue to this end.”

Whether the squabble between the two city governments will impact the travel plans of many people is debatable. (Airfares into the two destinations are often a more substantial factor.) But that hasn’t stopped people from weighing in on this fight, both residents of the area and others far away.

One Reddit user suggested OAK rename itself the “In-n-Out Memorial Airport,” after the burger chain closed the sole Oakland location due to persistent criminal activity, while another posted, “OAK airport, the Temu SFO.”

Other quips from the peanut gallery included:

Arguing that having two airports with the name “San Francisco” in them would baffle passengers might be a hard case to make, though. The U.K., for instance, has seven airports that include the word “London.” Paris has five with the metro area’s name. Dallas has a pair, and Chicago has three.

Of course, if you don’t want to take sides in the matter, you could always opt for one of the smaller airports in the Bay Area. San Jose is an option, of course, but if you’re headed to wine country, there’s always Sonoma’s Charles M. Schulz Airport, the only airport in the country where you can see a giant information desk designed like Lucy’s “Psychiatric Help” kiosk. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Morris is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience. Learn more at chrismorrisjournalist.com. 


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