Oakland International Airport officials want a bigger share of the San Francisco Bay travel market and is considering a name change to San Francisco Bay Oakland International, but the idea is raising hackles across the bay at San Francisco International Airport.
Oakland’s airport, known by code letters OAK, is actually located right on the bay, as is San Francisco’s, which goes by SFO. Oakland officials believe that adding the name of the bay to the name of the airport would alert travelers that it is almost precisely as far from downtown San Francisco both in distance and travel time as its rival.
SFO officials believe that, too, and want Oakland to drop the idea, arguing that it will also confuse travelers and cause them to end up at the wrong airport. It will likely require some state decision on whether the change can go ahead.
But at least, it’s a likelier candidate than airports 70 miles from Orlando adding the popular Florida destination to their name, or than New York Stewart International Airport, hours up the Hudson from the city’s other choices.
