SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the renaming of Oakland International Airport, ruling that adding “San Francisco Bay” to the name would cause travelers to mistakenly believe that the East Bay airport is affiliated with or run by the same management as San Francisco’s airport.
The Port of Oakland, which operates the airport, told San Francisco officials in March of a plan to rename the airport, but West Bay officials objected to the plan on the grounds that the change would increase the “likelihood of confusion” between the two airports, according to court filings.
The city and county of San Francisco filed the lawsuit seeking an injunction on April 18 alleging trademark infringement, unfair competition and false designation of the airport, according to court documents.
U.S. Magistrate Thomas S. Hixson’s ruling on Tuesday dismissed two of San Francisco’s claims – that the name change would cause “initial interest confusion” in which a company uses a competitor’s trademark to falsely direct attention to them, and that the name change would cause “point of sale confusion,” in which passengers would mistakenly buy tickets to the wrong airport, according to court filings.
The name change was aimed at attracting travelers coming to the Bay Area who may not be familiar with Oakland’s proximity to other Bay Area cities. It was also meant to spur economic growth following the Covid-19 pandemic and help increase the flow of travelers through the least busy of the Bay Area’s three major airports.
The initial announcement was met with opposition from people in the San Francisco tourism and hospitality industry, many travelers and some California legislators. Some airlines, including Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Volaris, supported the name change, while others including United Airlines, Japan Airlines and Vietnam Airlines, opposed the change.
“The court order temporarily blocks OAK’s new name on the basis of the third type of alleged confusion: that travelers may think OAK is affiliated with SFO,” Port of Oakland spokesperson Robert Bernardo said in a statement. “OAK is not associated with SFO, of course, but is rather a convenient and centrally located option for travelers throughout the Bay Area.”
Bernardo added that the Port of Oakland is considering all available legal options.
A representative from the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing report. Please check back for updates.
