SF files motion to reverse Oakland airport's name change that it says has caused traveler confusion

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 caused some people to book flights to SFO when they intended to travel to Oakland. They also cite other instances where people have been directed to the wrong airport by rideshare services.

"We have tried to reason with Oakland officials to avoid this very step. To come up with alternative names that could work for all of us. We even agreed on mediation but unfortunately, nothing came out of that mediation," said Chiu.

Oakland airport says it changed the name to remind travelers it is part of the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Nobody owns the San Francisco Bay. The port operates and is the steward for 20 miles of land along the San Francisco Bay," said Barbara Leslie, Port of Oakland, Board of Commissioners Second Vice President back in April.

The name was approved by the Oakland Board of Commissioners in May.

In a statement to ABC7 News, the Port of Oakland categorized SF's legal action as, "An attempt to stifle competition and travel choices by Bay Area residents and position SFO as the only airport that serves the San Francisco Bay Area. It is not, and OAK will continue to aggressively fight for its position on the San Francisco Bay."

The board said the lack of geographic awareness of where Oakland is creates challenges and argues that Oakland airport should be serving the top 20 US markets, but it is not.

East Bay resident Paolo Sambrano wants Oakland to rethink the airport's name change.

"I think it really erodes a lot of Oakland's identity. I was born and raised in Oakland, and I think it's a real slap in the face," said Sambrano.

Full Statement from Mary Richardson, Port Attorney, Port of Oakland:

"The recent injunctive relief request by the San Francisco City Attorney's Office is a continuation of tactics rooted in publicity and anti-competitive bullying rather than on legal merits. The Port of Oakland, which owns and operates OAK, filed a counterclaim against SFO and has not yet received a response. In fact, at SFO's request, OAK had agreed to extensions for SFO to respond to OAK's claims. Unfortunately, it appears that SFO sought to manufacture confusion under the cloak of legal filings and try to erase OAK from the map.

OAK sits on the San Francisco Bay. Earlier this year, the Board of Port Commissioners approved a name change to include this geographic reference in the airport's name, while maintaining the OAK airport code, distinct branding, and the "I Fly OAK" logo. This is not and has never been about SFO or confusion. It's about bringing awareness to travelers about the choices they have when traveling to and from the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

It's unfortunate that the SF City Attorney's Office filed suit prematurely and continues to focus its efforts on litigation. The fact that SFO waited more than four months after the official name change to file this injunctive relief request shows a complete lack of urgency about any alleged harm. It is simply the latest example of the City Attorney attempting to sow confusion instead of responding to the merits of our Board's action to rightly associate our Airport with the San Francisco Bay, which cannot be trademarked.

Let'sbe clear - this lawsuit, which now includes a request aimed at immediately stopping OAK from rightly using its location on the San Francisco Bay in its name - is not an attempt by SFO to prevent confusion. Instead, it's nothing more than an attempt to stifle competition and travel choices by Bay Area residents and position SFO as the only airport that serves the San Francisco Bay Area. It is not, and OAK will continue to aggressively fight for its position on the San Francisco Bay. Bay Area residents and visitors alike will have better flying choices when there is widespread industry and consumer recognition that OAK is located on the San Francisco Bay and serves the Bay Area region too."