Oakland, San Francisco airports settle fight over East Bay hub's name

OAKLAND — A settlement announced Tuesday has finally ended a war of words between two major Bay Area airports.

San Francisco officials filed a lawsuit after the Port of Oakland, which owns and operates the city’s airport, approved a name change from Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport in 2024, in the hope of drawing more travelers by emphasizing the aviation’s connection to the nine-county Bay Area.

The litigation, which claimed the new name would hurt San Francisco International Airport by creating confusion, led to an injunction that prevented the Oakland airport from using it.

But after two years of tussling, both parties agreed on the moniker Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport — a change which officially took effect immediately. In recent months, the Oakland travel complex had already begun to use Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport as its formal name, this news organization’s review of press releases issued by the airport shows.

“We're proud Oakland fought for and preserved the right to retain our airport's full name that puts Oakland first and recognizes OAK's location on the San Francisco Bay,” said Mary Richardson, an attorney for the Port of Oakland.

“We are grateful to have reached a resolution in this matter," said San Francisco International Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet. “This agreement provides clarity for travelers to make informed decisions about travel through our respective airports.”

The deal includes some intriguing twists and restrictions on shifts in names, marketing, designations, and other endeavors related to the name of the Oakland airport.

“The Port (of Oakland) will not market, display, or use the following terms on a standalone basis for its airport's name: ‘San Francisco,’ ‘San Francisco Bay,’ ‘San Francisco Airport,’ and/or ‘San Francisco Bay Airport,’ or any acronym incorporating ‘SF,'” the settlement stated.

The legal agreement prevents Oakland from changing its International Air Transport Association name, commonly known as an airport code, from the current OAK designation to something that includes SF, such as OSF.

“The Port will not refer to or display ‘San Francisco Bay’ in the Oakland name in a manner more prominently than ‘Oakland,’ or in a way that causes ‘San Francisco Bay’ or ‘San Francisco’ to be the dominant or primary component of the Oakland name,” the settlement stated.

The agreement also spelled out restrictions on the order in which the names Oakland, San Francisco, and Bay might be displayed.

“Anytime the Port displays the Oakland name, the term ‘San Francisco’ within the Oakland name shall be immediately preceded by ‘Oakland’ and followed by ‘Bay,’ and ‘SF’/’San Francisco’ may not be used at the front of its airport's name,” the settlement stated.

Prior to Tuesday's settlement announcement, the Bay Area’s three major airports – Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose – have continued to face challenges in attracting travelers.

"The naming thing is not going to change the ability of Oakland or San Francisco to get more people in the airports," said Brett Snyder, founder and author of the Cranky Flier airline industry website. "The name settlement is not going to get these three airports back to where they were."

All three have sputtered in their efforts to return to the lofty heights of passenger trips to which they had all climbed prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Even the swarm of visitors to the Bay Area for the Super Bowl in February and the game’s preceding events did little to lift their fortunes.

With the legal battle behind them, officials with both Oakland and San Francisco airports are looking ahead.

“SFO will continue delivering an exceptional travel experience for San Franciscans and visitors alike, and we look forward to welcoming travelers to San Francisco,” Nakornkhet said.

Travelers also are poised to benefit from the legal deal, Richardson said.

“We believe more awareness of the airports in the region benefits all consumers,” Richardson said.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 12:17 PM.