[Updated July 2025]
While I’ve seen many great movies on TV and on the big screen this year, nothing had me watching with bated breath more than the drama known as the naming debacle between the airports of San Francisco and Oakland!
Currently, the Oakland Airport is called “Oakland International Airport” (as of this writing in December 2024).
May 2024
The name-change drama started in May 2024, when the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners unanimously voted and granted final approval to rename the Oakland Airport (OAK) from Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. Their goal? “To attract more nonstop destinations by boosting travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport’s location on the San Francisco Bay.” To prepare for the growth, plans are currently underway to create a third terminal and add up to 16 new gates.
The City and County of San Francisco, who owns the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), said (at the time) that the name change would cause confusion. They claimed the airport across the bay in Oakland (OAK) was infringing on SFO’s trademark.
September 2024
In September 2024, the San Francisco City Attorney filed a motion to have a judge stop OAK from using San Francisco in its name.
November 2024
On November 12, 2024, a federal judge ordered the Port of Oakland to stop using the name “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”
The Oakland Airport complied with the judge’s ruling, but they haven’t replaced the main sign. (I took the photo below on December 6, 2024.)
My thoughts
Not replacing the sign a whole month since the November 2024 ruling appears to be a silent protest! Perhaps it’s an act of hopeful anticipation they’ll get to use “San Francisco” in its name again if the current ruling is reversed. I heard there are supply chain issues. Maybe the new/old sign is still at the printers!
Whatever the reason, I can tell you it doesn’t look pretty. It’s extremely (or, as we say, hella) sad because now even the airport looks run down like many of the stores in the Bay Area that have shuttered due to the rise of online shopping, inflation, and crime. (That said, please come to Oakland! Also known as “The Town,” Oakland has plenty of safe, pretty, and historic parts worth visiting. In 2024, Condé Nast readers even voted Oakland the #1 Best Food City in the United States.)
Rest assured, OAK is still fully operational. The airport’s main entrance just gives the false impression that it’s closed and abandoned!
In my humble opinion, there should be no name change at all. Not because it’s confusing, but because the name “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” is a mouthful! It shouldn’t be confusing because the airport code for Oakland hasn’t changed – it’s still OAK. I find it hard to believe that travelers would accidentally arrive at the “wrong” airport. But I guess it happens!
If the powers that be must change the name, I believe OAK should be “Oakland Bay Area International Airport” (removing “San Francisco Bay” but adding “Bay Area” to the name) with a tagline like, “Fly OAK. We’ll get you from “The Town” to “The City.” (You read it here first, folks!) 😉
SFO vs OAK
As a local, I can tell you that SFO is known as the one used mainly for longer haul flights to the East Coast or outside of the country. That makes sense: it’s a larger airport with four terminals. ⤵️
On the other hand, OAK is known as the one used mainly for domestic flights largely due to Southwest Airlines taking up an entire terminal (Terminal 2). It also offers direct flights to/from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. ⤵️
I’ve compiled additional facts about both Bay Area airports below. ⤵️
| SFO | OAK | |
| Opening Date | May 1927 | Sept 1927 |
| Size | 5,200 acres | 2,600 acres |
| Terminals | 4 (3 domestic + 1 international) | 2 (1 terminal exclusively serves Southwest Airlines) |
| Total passengers served | 47,052,180 (FY 2022-23) | 11,239,075 (2023) |
| Accessible by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)? | Yes. The BART SFO Station is practically at the front door of the International Terminal. It takes about 30 minutes to get to SFO Station from Downtown San Francisco. | Yes. From the BART Coliseum Station, take the Oakland Airport Connector shuttle train to the airport between Terminals 1 and 2 (about an 8-minute ride). |
| Fun Activities | Plane Spotting: SFO offers a unique and exciting place for #AvGeeks and #PlaneSpotters to take pictures and videos of aircraft from all over the world. | Tunes in the Terminal: OAK offers a Performing Arts Program allowing Buskers to perform in the Terminals during certain operating hours. |
| Aviation Museum | Yes. SFO Aviation Museum & Library | Yes. Oakland Aviation Museum. They offer free Open Cockpit Days on three Sundays each year. Link: |
| Noteworthy | SFO Debuts New Logo (August 2024) Link to YouTube | Amelia Earhart left Oakland airfield for second attempt at around-the-world flight in May 1937 (but unfortunately, her aircraft was declared lost two months later.) |
| For more information | SFO website | OAK website |
December 2024
Sounds like this name change situation won’t be resolved anytime soon!
Update: The Port of Oakland filed a Notice of Appeal on December 12, 2024 challenging the district court’s November 12, 2024 order temporarily blocking it from using “San Francisco” in the Oakland Airport’s name.
June 2025
Oakland Airport (OAK) is at it again! As of June 27, 2025, it was announced that they now want to use the name “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.” According to the Port of Oakland, which operates OAK, “The Port Board will consider adopting the new name at its July 10, 2025, meeting. This renaming is part of a dynamic effort to increase air travel and boost economic activity within Oakland and the region and generate critical revenue and visitor spending dollars for the local economy.”
July 2025
It’s official: the airport will be called “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport” according to the Port of Oakland.
Tell me in the comments: What do you think about Oakland Airport’s name change?
Thanks for reading Bonjour: A Francophile Blog!
Bonjour: A Francophile Blog 
I love your alternate name suggestion. It ties OAK to the bay without giving off insecure sister vibes.
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lol, thanks, Teresa!
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I believe the name change is a bad idea, as it will be confusing to those who are actually visiting San Francisco. I would rather have Oakland keep its original airport name!
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I hear you, Rebecca! Can’t wait for the final verdict on this matter.
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