Why would you fly to Oakland, California, if you are going to San Francisco?
Which may appear counterintuitive to quite a lot of vacationers. However those that are extra aware of the realm know that Oakland International Airport (OAK), which sits squarely on the east aspect of San Francisco Bay, is lower than a half-hour drive from downtown San Francisco — to not point out just some minutes from the town of Oakland.
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Whereas it could be dwarfed by San Francisco International Airport (SFO) simply throughout the bay, OAK officers assume that a part of the explanation for that’s that inbound vacationers merely do not understand the place the airport is or that it presents a doubtlessly extra engaging choice for folks flying to the Bay Space.
That is why Oakland airport officers mentioned Friday that they’re contemplating altering the airport’s identify to “San Francisco Bay Oakland Worldwide Airport” to higher mirror the airport’s location as a part of an effort to draw extra passengers and to immediate airways so as to add extra routes.
“Market analysis and interviews with airline companions have proven that routes haven’t carried out in addition to they need to have because of the lack of geographic consciousness, making air carriers reluctant to maintain and add new routes in Oakland,” Port of Oakland interim aviation director Craig Simon mentioned in an announcement.
Between July 2008 and March 2024, the airport added 54 new routes, Simon added. Of these, 39 have been discontinued, together with six older established routes.
Airways supply 46 locations from OAK as of this June, in line with knowledge from aviation knowledge agency Cirium. The airport’s largest airline is Southwest Airways by a major margin, adopted by Alaska Airways and Spirit Airways. It additionally has common service from Hawaiian Airways, Mexican provider Volaris, Allegiant Air and Delta Air Traces.
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Nonetheless, Oakland officers mentioned, there’s room for that route map and provider record to increase, citing geographic consciousness as a serious hindrance. Market analysis carried out by the airport authority has discovered that native vacationers are anticipating extra home and worldwide locations from the airport, whereas inbound vacationers confirmed that they didn’t notice how shut the airport was to San Francisco.
As of this June, SFO could have business service to 128 home and worldwide airports on greater than 4 dozen airways, in line with Cirium.
Whereas the rebranding would tweak the airport’s identify so as to add “San Francisco Bay,” the airport’s OAK code and branding wouldn’t change, officers mentioned.
“Oakland helped put us on the map in California and we’re wholeheartedly supportive of this rebranding that acknowledges OAK’s financial place and affect within the San Francisco Bay space whereas staying true to its Oakland roots,” Southwest’s senior vice chairman of promoting Jennifer Bridie mentioned in an announcement.
Oakland, in the meantime, is way from the primary airport to attempt to develop its relevance by associating extra carefully with a broader metropolitan area.
In 2006, the business airport in Manchester, New Hampshire, modified its identify to “Manchester-Boston Regional Airport” in an effort to enhance its visibility and spotlight its location about 55 miles from central Boston. Airline passenger site visitors on the airport — code MHT — has ebbed and flowed since however has been on a common upward pattern because the COVID-19 pandemic.
MHT is at present serviced by American Airways, Breeze Airways, United Airways, Southwest Airways and Avelo Airways. Spirit Airways additionally operates on the airport, although it plans to droop its solely service in Might — the airline said it plans to renew seasonal service subsequent winter.
Different airports have tried identify modifications for comparable causes.
Florida’s Melbourne Worldwide Airport (MLB) was amongst them. The airport, which sits on Florida’s central Atlantic coast, modified its identify in 2015 to “Orlando Melbourne Worldwide Airport” to capitalize on the stronger identify recognition with the town 70 miles inland that is house to Walt Disney World and different widespread theme parks. Officers at Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO), nevertheless, didn’t just like the identify change, and — after years of forwards and backwards — MLB eventually agreed to change the order of the cities in its title to go by its present identify of Melbourne Orlando Worldwide Airport.
Different U.S. airports adopting the identify of distant, extra recognizable metropolis names embody Chicago Rockford Worldwide Airport (RFD) — about 85 miles from Chicago’s Loop — and New York Stewart Worldwide Airport (SWF), positioned about 70 miles from midtown Manhattan close to the town of Newburgh, New York.
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