OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — San Francisco is petitioning a judge to immediately stop Oakland from using its new airport name.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu says the name change to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” is confusing travelers, with some showing up at the wrong airport.
MORE: Oakland airport name change unanimously approved by board as SF continues lawsuit threats
San Francisco has already sued in a federal lawsuit to stop the name change, but the preliminary injunction would have an immediate effect.
The city also claims the Oakland name change infringes on the San Francisco International Airport’s trademark.
“We are already seeing traveler confusion around the use of Oakland’s new name,” Chiu said in a release. “This was entirely predictable and preventable. We have tried to reason with Oakland officials to avoid litigation and come up with alternative names that would work for all of us. Unfortunately, those efforts were not productive, and we have no choice but to ask the court to step in and protect our trademark.”
MORE: San Francisco sues Oakland for trademark infringement over airport name change
San Francisco says that the new brand has cause some people to book flights to SFO, when they intended to travel to Oakland. They also site other instances where people have been directed to the wrong airport by rideshare services.
Oakland airport says it changed the name to remind travelers it is part of the San Francisco Bay Area.
The name was approved by the Oakland Board of Commissioners in May. The board said the lack of geographic awareness of where Oakland is creates challenges and argue that Oakland airport should be serving the top 20 US markets, but it is not.
Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.