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   From: nospam@ix.netcom.com   
      
   San Francisco International Airport leaders and elected officials are   
   pushing back on a plan to change the name of Oakland International   
   Airport.   
      
   The name under consideration? The San Francisco Bay Oakland International   
   Airport. The airport’s code — OAK — and visual brand would not change,   
   according to officials with the Port of Oakland, which runs the East Bay   
   airport.   
      
   Oakland port commissioners will consider the name change at a meeting   
   April 11 as part of an effort to increase awareness of the airport’s   
   location among inbound travelers and, they hope, attract more routes to   
   and from Oakland, according to the Port of Oakland, which owns and   
   operates the airport.   
      
   SFO’s airport director, Ivar Satero, said the Bay Area’s largest and best-   
   known airport is concerned the name change will cause confusion among   
   travelers booking flights and wants Oakland to leave the name of the city   
   across the bay off of its airport.   
      
   “We are deeply concerned about the potential for customer confusion and   
   disservice that could result from this proposed renaming,” he said. “We   
   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.”   
      
   San Francisco elected officials are also giving the proposal a thumbs-   
   down, saying it will confuse air travelers and accusing port officials of   
   stealing their name.   
      
   “I’m delighted to know that San Francisco’s name is still sought after —   
   and that’s a lovely compliment,” said Board of Supervisors President Aaron   
   Peskin, who plans to introduce a resolution opposing the change at   
   Tuesday’s supervisors’ meeting. “But that does not justify appropriating   
   the name we’ve used for almost 100 years.”   
      
   Peskin said his resolution will ask port officials to reconsider the   
   proposal.   
      
   Oakland port officials say the problem is that half of frequent   
   international travelers and nearly a third of domestic travelers are   
   unaware of the airport’s location. As a result, flights to Oakland haven’t   
   performed as well as expected, making airlines reluctant to keep and add   
   new routes.   
      
   “Adding San Francisco Bay to the name will improve travelers’ geographic   
   awareness of the airport and help us reach and succeed in new markets,”   
   port commission President Barbara Leslie said in a video announcement the   
   port posted to social media.   
      
   Leslie also presented the change as an important move for the future of   
   the airport, which provides more than 30,000 airport jobs and $1.6 billion   
   to Oakland’s economy.   
      
   Other elected leaders criticized the move. Sen. Scott Wiener, who   
   represents San Francisco, took aim at the proposed name change.   
      
   “I love Oakland, but Oakland is Oakland. It’s not San Francisco,” Wiener   
   said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Oakland’s airport should not be   
   cutting & pasting San Francisco International Airport into its name.   
   Please find another way to turn things around.”   
      
   Loren Taylor, a former Oakland council member who unsuccessfully ran for   
   mayor in 2022, said the port should spend its resources to improve the   
   city, not distance itself from it.   
      
   “What message does this give to other Oakland businesses and residents?   
   That ditching Oakland is the ideal path to making more profit? Instead,   
   let’s go all in on making Oakland a better, safer, and more vibrant city,”   
   Taylor said on X.   
      
   The proposed modification follows a survey that was sent to 700 registered   
   voters in Oakland last summer to collect feedback. Although a potential   
   new name wasn’t revealed at the time,  the idea alone drew pushback even   
   then on social media.   
      
   The name change is part of a broader effort to improve passengers’   
   experience at the airport. Other efforts include upgrades to the Terminal   
   1 check-in lobby and restrooms, as well as new local concessions and   
   restaurants.   
      
   If commissioners approve the new name, the port said it would work with   
   airlines and other airports and agencies to reflect the name change in   
   airport and airline systems.   
      
   Reach David Hernandez: david.hernandez@sfchronicle.com. Reach Michael   
   Cabanatuan: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com   
      
   https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/change-oakland-international-   
   airport-name-to-sfo-19378510.php   
      
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