In the East Bay, ABC7 is following a story that we thought was over.
Remember the drama over the name of Oakland’s airport?
It went from “Oakland International Airport” to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” Then, there was a lawsuit over the name.
Now, the name is changing once again.
“Again? To what?” said Kathy Haynes, a Texas resident flying out of the airport in Oakland.
Like Kathy Haynes, many travelers are wondering the same thing. We took these questions to the director of aviation for the Port of Oakland.
“We are going to go with ‘Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.’ This is really leaning into Oakland and putting Oakland first,” said Director of Aviation Craig Simon.
A year ago, the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport, changed OAK’s name to the “San Francisco Bay Oakland Airport,” hoping new branding would attract more traffic. San Francisco ended up suing Oakland. So now, the Port is proposing to switch the name around and put Oakland first.
Luz Pena: “How much money has the Port of Oakland spent with these name changes?”
Craig Simon: “In our board letter, we put down roughly $150,000, and really what that does is for signage and digital signage and some of the marketing things we have done. As far, if you are asking for legal fees, we don’t know at this time.”
Luz Pena: “Has it been worth it?”
Craig Simon: “Absolutely, it has been worth it. We have gotten a lot of coverage.”
Bay Area resident Janet Coble is glad the new name will make it clear that the airport is located in the city of Oakland.
