Oakland airport changes name for 2nd time in a year amid ongoing legal battle with San Francisco

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- In the East Bay, ABC7 is following a story that we thought was over.

Remember the drama over the name of Oakland's airport?

It went from "Oakland International Airport" to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport" Then, there was a lawsuit over the name.

Now, the name is changing once again.

MORE: Oakland airport told to stop using new name amid SFO trademark pushback

"Again? To what?" said Kathy Haynes, a Texas resident flying out of the airport in Oakland.

Like Kathy Haynes, many travelers are wondering the same thing. We took these questions to the director of aviation for the Port of Oakland.

"We are going to go with 'Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.' This is really leaning into Oakland and putting Oakland first," said Director of Aviation Craig Simon.

A year ago, the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport, changed OAK's name to the "San Francisco Bay Oakland Airport," hoping new branding would attract more traffic. San Francisco ended up suing Oakland. So now, the Port is proposing to switch the name around and put Oakland first.

MORE: SFO vs. OAK: San Francisco takes Port of Oakland to court over airport renaming

Luz Pena: "How much money has the Port of Oakland spent with these name changes?"

Craig Simon: "In our board letter, we put down roughly $150,000, and really what that does is for signage and digital signage and some of the marketing things we have done. As far, if you are asking for legal fees, we don't know at this time."

Luz Pena: "Has it been worth it?"

Craig Simon: "Absolutely, it has been worth it. We have gotten a lot of coverage."

Bay Area resident Janet Coble is glad the new name will make it clear that the airport is located in the city of Oakland.

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

"People, my age at least, are not going to get confused. Young people don't seem to get as confused as easily as we do," Coble said.

City Councilmember Noel Gallo is hoping this change will lead to more flights.

"We are losing some flights through Southwest, so we need to do everything possible to, not only make the opportunity for Southwest a lot better, so they stay in Oakland," Gallo said.

As to the lawsuit, it's still ongoing. In a statement, the San Francisco City Attorney's office responded: "We are just learning about this development and will assess any next steps to ensure San Francisco International Airport's trademark is protected."

MORE: Oakland airport name change unanimously approved by board as SF continues lawsuit threats

Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife hopes this change sends a clear message.

"We are hoping that this is what it takes to take us out of litigation and still puts Oakland on the map, so people who are not local, people who are international travelers, people who are out of state, actually know the proximity of Oakland to the San Francisco Bay Area," Fife said.

It's not a done deal. The Port of Oakland's board of directors will vote on the name change on July 10 and move to a second vote on July 24.

The three letter identifier OAK will remain the same.