One Bay Area Airport wants to add “San Francisco” to its name even though it is not located in the City by the Bay.
As for the airport located in San Francisco, it is not happy with the name change project.
Oakland International Airport will consider changing its name to San Francisco Bay Area Oakland International Airport on April 11, according to a statement from Oakland Board of Port Commissioners Chairwoman Barbara Leslie. The OAK airport code and branding visuals would not change under the proposal.
“The Port is considering changing its name to increase inbound travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport’s location in the San Francisco Bay Area,” Leslie said in the release. “This will protect the more than 30,000 direct, well-paying jobs at our airport and $1.6 billion in economic benefits to the region. »
Jennifer Bridie, a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, which flies to Oakland, also supported the move, saying Oakland “helped us get our name out there in California.”
“We wholeheartedly support this rebranding which recognizes OAK’s economic position and influence in the San Francisco Bay Area while remaining true to its Oakland roots,” she said in a statement. communicated.
However, not everyone is a fan of the proposed change.
San Francisco International Airport, which has been operating since 1927 and has used San Francisco Airport or its current name for most of its history, has expressed “serious concerns” about renaming the airport from Oakland.
“Given this history, we anticipate that the new name being considered by Oakland Metropolitan International Airport will cause public confusion, either through a misunderstanding of its physical location or its perceived relationship to SFO ” said San Francisco International Airport Director Ivar Satero. A declaration.
Satero asked the Oakland airport to reject the name change because it “would only cause confusion and inconvenience to the traveling public we all serve.”
It would not be the first time that an airport has changed its name in an attempt to strengthen its image and attract more passengers.
Bob Hope Airport officials voted in 2016 to change the name of its airfield to Hollywood Burbank Airport to increase recognition among people outside Southern California.
California Daily Newspapers
