Port of Oakland denies deceiving fliers with 'San Francisco Bay' airport

The Port of Oakland has denied claims that adding "San Francisco Bay" to its airport's name will confuse fliers, asking a judge to reject a trademark lawsuit by neighboring San Francisco. In a court filing, opens new tab on Thursday, the port told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that airports in Chicago, Dallas, London, Paris and Beijing peacefully share their cities' names and said that its branding and continued use of the OAK airport code would prevent confusion. The port also argued that San Francisco's own airport name, San Francisco International Airport, is misleading because the airport is located in San Mateo County and not San Francisco itself.<br/>Representatives for San Francisco did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing on Friday. "The San Francisco's City Attorney's decision to pursue litigation is an attempt to stop consumer education, prevent expanded air travel options for Bay Area residents and visitors, and is a misguided use of San Francisco taxpayer dollars," Port of Oakland attorney Mary Richardson said. The port announced plans in March to change the name of Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. The port's board of commissioners unanimously approved the name change on Thursday. Oakland's airport is located 12 miles east of San Francisco and just over 30 miles from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). San Francisco sued Oakland for infringing its airport's trademarks last month.<br/>