Oakland? More like Jokeland, according to some.
Officials in California are mulling over the idea of adding neighboring San Francisco into the name of Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, the Independent reported.
The logic behind the move is to make passengers more aware that flying into Oakland to reach San Fran would not be so different than touching down at Newark, NJ to reach the Big Apple. Apparently, oblivious travelers need the heads up to such proximity as 39 of 54 new routes were dropped out of the former Raider nation since 2008, per the outlet.
“Market research and interviews with airline partners have shown that routes have not performed as well as they should have due to the lack of geographic awareness,” Craig Simon, the Port of Oakland’s interim aviation director said.
The Golden State gaffe is “making air carriers reluctant to sustain and add new routes in Oakland,” he added.
However, there are some choppy waves on the other side of the bay as San Francisco International Airport director Ivar C. Satero has said he’s “deeply concerned” it will cause even more confusion.
Other legal giants in San Francisco, like City Attorney David Chiu, also balk at the idea. He threatened a lawsuit against Oakland officials on grounds that it would violate the trademark behind San Francisco’s airport — one that is miles south from the center of town.
“Consumers will either misunderstand Oakland International Airport’s physical location (i.e. that it’s in San Francisco rather than Oakland) or mistakenly believe that there is a formal relationship or connection between the two airports that does not exist,” he wrote in a letter.
The news also comes on the heels of the Oakland Athletics’ announced departure from the city to play interim games in Sacramento while their new home in Las Vegas is being built. The storied ballclub follows the Raiders who relocated to Vegas and the Golden State Warriors who set up shop in San Fran in recent seasons.
California state senator Scott Wiener was blunt that changing the airport name won’t be the pick-up Oakland desperately needs.
“Please find another way to turn things around,” he posted to X.
