The Port of Oakland has issued a strong rebuttal to allegations from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) regarding confusion over the recently renamed “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.” In a statement on Wednesday, Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Craig Simon accused SFO of “manipulating results” in a survey to support its claims.
“SFO continues to manufacture confusion under the cloak of its legal filings,” Simon said, asserting that such tactics foster an anti-competitive environment detrimental to Bay Area travelers.
The name change was unanimously approved by the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners in May, but SFO filed opposition papers in September, arguing that travelers were mistakenly arriving at the wrong airport due to the new name. In response, Oakland officials criticized SFO’s evidence as lacking credibility, pointing to “unauthenticated online social media opinion posts” and a “flawed consumer survey.”
They emphasized that it is an “undisputed fact” that the Oakland airport is situated on the shores of San Francisco Bay, underscoring their right to the new name. The dispute underscores ongoing tensions between the two airports amid a competitive travel landscape.