Prince did it. Twitter did it. Meta and WW and KFC have all done it. Now Oakland International Airport wants to do it, too.
Officials on “the bright side of the Bay” say their airport has a public perception problem that can be fixed by changing its name. They have proposed a rebrand to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport while keeping the three-letter airport code of OAK.
The primary reason for changing the airport’s name is educational. “We found that over half of frequent international travelers and nearly a third of domestic travelers are unaware of OAK’s amazing location in the heart of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area,” explains Barbara Leslie, president of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners in an announcement video. “Adding San Francisco Bay to the name will improve travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport and help us reach and succeed in new markets,” she says.
Proponents of the change say travelers may not realize that downtown San Francisco is only about five miles farther from Oakland International Airport (OAK) than from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). “This change will increase online search visibility for OAK,” points out Peter Gamez, CEO of Visit Oakland.
“This adjustment isn’t just about signage—it’s about inviting travelers to discover all that Oakland and the region have to offer,” says Oakland mayor Sheng Thao, who notes that the airport provides 30,000 local jobs and contributes $1.6 billion to the city’s economy.
Mind you, travelers aren’t the only target audience for this initiative. Oakland officials also want to get the attention of airlines, which bid for routes based on multiple factors, including passenger preference. It’s hoped that the proposed name change will help the airport secure more direct flights to additional destinations. “We’re wholeheartedly supportive of this rebranding that acknowledges OAK’s economic position and influence in the San Francisco Bay area while staying true to its Oakland roots,” says Jennifer Bridie, a marketing vice president at Southwest Airlines, the largest airline at OAK.
The airport’s second largest carrier, Spirit Airlines, also supports the name change. “We believe this change will help our guests better understand their options to reach the Bay Area with our affordable flights and explore everything the region has to offer,” says John Kirby, vice president of network planning at Spirit.
Unsurprisingly, though, not everyone loves the idea of two airports with San Francisco in their names. Supervisors in San Mateo County, where SFO is located, voted unanimously to oppose the plan.
Earlier this week, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu sent a letter to the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners warning that the proposed plan would cause confusion and using ‘San Francisco’ in the renaming of Oakland International Airport (OAK) infringes on San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) trademark.”
But airports in the same hub destination often share the same city identifier. Examples include Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National International Airport, neither of which is located in Washington, D.C. There’s Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway; London Heathrow and London Gatwick; and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Paris Orly. The list goes on.
In Oakland, the port’s board of commissioners will meet Thursday afternoon to vote. If the proposed name change passes, a second reading will take place on April 25. And if that passes, Oakland International Airport could have a new name as soon as the end of the month.