Things are heating up the saga surrounding the proposed name change for Oakland International Airport (OAK).
On Monday, San Francisco city attorney’s office issued a statement threatening legal action if the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners goes ahead with the scheduled April 11 vote to change the name of the Metropoitan Oakland International Airport to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”
”Should you continue in these efforts, I intend to pursue legal action to prevent your use of the proposed new name,” SFO City Attorney David Chiu warned in his statement.
At the end of March, the Port of Oakland announced that it plans to add “San Francisco” to the name of the airport “to boost inbound travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport’s location on the San Francisco Bay.”
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has already raised alarms over that move, citing “serious concerns” over OAK’s actions.
“[W]e anticipate the new name being considered by the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport will cause confusion for the public, either through a misunderstanding of its physical location or its perceived relationship to SFO,” SFO Airport Director Ivar C. Satero said in a release.
OAK is undeterred.
Ahead of the April 11 meeting of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners, the airport issued a release citing that it has the strong support of its major airlines, including Southwest Airlines, Volaris, and Spirit Airlines.
