Seeking to woo business from San Francisco travelers, Oakland is adding "San Francisico" to the name of its airport — which is bound to get a rise out of its sister city.
Oakland's facility will be called San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport following unanimous approval Thursday by Port of Oakland commissioners. The airport's three-letter aviation code, OAK, will remain the same. But that's not satisfying San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu vowed early this week that he would sue to block the Oakland airport name change.
He argued in a letter to the Board of Port Commissioners that it would infringe on the trademark of San Francisco International Airport and confuse travelers — especially those traveling from abroad.
Mayor London Breed also criticized Oakland's move, saying the city should try to improve its airport instead of lifting San Francisco's name.
Though the change could be confusing for travelers from other countries, many San Franciscans sometimes use the Oakland airport because it may offer cheaper or more convenient schedules, based on travel plans
"This is to boost Oakland," Danny Wan, executive director of the port of Oakland, said at Thursday's meeting, reported the San Francisco Standard. "This is to bring more business to Oakland."
The name change must go through a second reading before the commissioners before it's officially implemented, which is expected to happen.
