Confused travelers arrive at wrong airport after Oakland renaming, SF says

[usonian]

Was going to post in CA, but it affects people outside CA.

https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/17/oakland-airport-renaming-confuses-travelers-sanfrancisco-says-in-lawsuit/

Confused travelers have shown up at the wrong airport after Oakland airport changed its name to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” earlier this year, a pending court filing claims.

Now, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is trying to stop Oakland from using the new name by filing a motion for a preliminary injunction in an ongoing lawsuit over the rebranding. The motion was filed in court on Tuesday.

Chiu’s lawsuit against Oakland claims the new name infringes on the San Francisco International Airport’s trademark and has confused passengers since its rollout in May.

Passengers unfamiliar with the Bay Area have been directed to the wrong airport by digital assistants and rideshare services, according to Chiu’s motion. They’ve also booked flights to SFO when they intended to arrive in Oakland and geotagged the wrong airport in social media posts.

The airports are still SFO and OAK.
And Oakland wonders why sports teams are leaving town.
They're ashamed of their own name.

[Demovictory9]

1. Reminds me of the "Los Angeles Angels* located in another county..orange county

Last edited Tue Sep 17, 2024, 05:34 PM - Edit history (1)

The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the American League West division. Since 1966, the team has played its home games at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California

[usonian]

2. Yes, I've heard them called formally "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"

The Warriors have been the Golden State Warriors as long as I can remember, so no name change moving from Oakland to SF. Were Philadelphia long ago.

Raiders have been the Oakland, Los Angeles, Oakland, Las Vegas Raiders.

All clubs seem to have come from somewhere else. I looked for a Lake in L.A., turns out it was Minnesota?

Oakland Athletics are planning to play in Sacramento until (and if) they go to Las Vegas, day games in 110 degree sun? Problem is that Sacramento has a minor league field (Giants farm team in recent years) that is even less major league than the Oakland Coliseum, which I heard was sold from the County to an individual? So maybe they can work something out? They (their owner, the richest in baseball, IIRC, and also the cheapest with the payroll) could never work things out with the City and County.

Crazy business. Can't keep up.

[Demovictory9]

6. They dropped the "of Anaheim" lol

[HeartachesNhangovers]

3. Well, if you flew into SFO thinking it was the closest airport to a SF 49ers game, you'd also be wrong. N/T

[newdeal2]

4. Just name it Kamala Harris Airport

After our 47th President! Problem solved.

[usonian]

8. The USS Potomac, FDR's floating White House, is berthed at Jack London Square.

It's operational. Goes out now and then. I think she likes the stationary White House better.

[HeartachesNhangovers]

5. All 3 major Oakland sports teams are gone because Oakland politicians wouldn't spend any money to keep them there.

After the Raiders and Warriors left, I'd have hoped the politicians would have done the community a favor and chipped in enough to keep the A's.

Anyway, accidentally flying into OAK or SFO instead of the other isn't a big deal. Pay a few bucks for a BART ticket and cross the bay. The trains go right to both airports. Not the worst way to learn your lesson to pay attention when you book a trip.

[usonian]

7. I can't see welfare for billionaire John Fisher.

He's the worst. Fans chant for him to sell the team. .

Oakland doesn't have the money to build Fisher the stadium and surrounding malls and high-rises he longs for. Las Vegas says so, but money flows like money there.

A change of ownership can work miracles. Warriors went from a sick joke to champs. Athletics went from champs to chumps when Fisher came in. They're just a farm team for MLB now. As soon as a rookie contract expires, you're traded. They get competitive balance (welfare) money from MLB, and want welfare money from Oakland. Just greed at its very worst. Ask any fan.

Warriors move was in Joe Lacob's plan the day he bought the team.

Billionaire owners get welfare from cities. Welcome to America.

[HeartachesNhangovers]

9. Of course John Fisher doesn't deserve taxpayer money, but Oakland fans don't deserve to lose 3 major sports teams.

Paying billionaires is how you keep a sports team in your market, and no owner is going to move to or stay in Oakland without some incentive. Plus, Oakland already had the land for the stadium, in a public transit-friendly location, with full regulatory approval, including by the Coastal Commission, which was a miracle to get. Oakland just had to sweeten the deal enough to keep a greedy billionaire from leaving town with his team. I don't live in Oakland any more, but if I did, I'd be primarying any Oakland politician that dragged their feet on this.

[usonian]

10. Did you get a billion or two to leave Oakland?

Just kidding.

I don't know what it would have taken to keep them. And the Las Vegas deal is not done.

Money is such a magnet.

Larry? Are you jealous of Greg Johnson and the Yorks? Got spare change? The deal ain't done yet.

[jmowreader]

14. It's really going to piss off the people who came to meet you...

...if they thought you were flying into SFO and you landed at OAK instead.

[Zorro]

11. Many years ago I took the hop from LAX to OAK

The pilots had to pull the plane back to the gate and offload a couple of passengers who apparently boarded thinking we were heading to Auckland.

[usonian]

12. Even if airport announcements are garbled, how did the boarding crew goof so badly?

Yikes.

[Sky Jewels]

17. I remember hearing a story about that many years ago.

A guy wound up in New Zealand instead of the Bay Area. But this was pre-internet, so he probably bought his tickets by speaking with an agent, where Auckland/Oakland could potentially be hard to distinguish.

[CoopersDad]

13. This was the stoopidest goddam name change ever. Fuck.

.
As if Oakland is ashamed of it's city name that it won't use it?

[Sympthsical]

15. You pretty much have to trick people to visit Oakland

Because god knows, going there willingly isn't as much a thing as it used to be.

Source: Spent all morning in Oakland today.

It's . . . yeah. Not that it was ever great in the past 15 years. But at least there were parts that are genuinely worth it. There still are, but you start weighing things.

It's just kind of a depressing place now. That whole government needs a thorough housecleaning.

So that'll never happen.

[Sky Jewels]

16. Oh that is ridiculous...

Come on, just leave it Oakland. I fly in there all the time.

If they insist on renaming it, they should call it "East Bay Airport" or something like that, for accuracy.

[usonian]

18. I remember when Hayward State became

California State University East Bay

No problem?
My Dad graduated from an art school that later changed names.
So when he ran for City Council, smart-asses claimed that he lied.

No research? No problemo.

[lindysalsagal]

19. With everyone doing their own bookings they need to simplify it!