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Passengers Fly to the Wrong Airport After Oakland Airport Renaming

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Recently, the airport in the Californian city of Oakland had its name changed, albeit in quite a confusing way. The airport that was once known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK) has changed its name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK) last May, and it is confusing travelers. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Jp Murf
News junkiePromoter

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locomoco
M.F. LaBoo 31
Reminds me of the old joke about the guy trying to fly from LA to Oakland who settles in for a quick snooze, wakes up two hours later and is still airborne. Rings the stew, asks why haven't we landed? She replies we still have eleven hours to Auckland.
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Nicolus
Nicolus 4
Hey, I'd take that trip... Pay for Oakland, wind up in Australia! If I was only that lucky!
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bixlercs
Samuel Bixler 3
Australia??
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robfsmith127
Robert Smith 4
Assuming he meant New Zealand
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Nicolus
Nicolus 2
Indeed. I was more focused on the wishful thinking part that I had a faux pas.
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treesor
Ted Reesor 1
Apparently it actually happened in 1985.
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DouglasFlatley
Douglas Flatley 25
Hotels do this frequently to make customers think they are staying in a city when in actuality it's a smaller town further away. Very deceptive especially for a traveller not familiar with the area.,
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MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 19
What genius decided this?
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TiredTom
Tom Bruce 7
Oakland City Council...and they ARE idiots!
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LeanderWilliams
Leander Williams 12
Tom Bruce. I hate to burst your bubble, but the Oakland City Council has NOTHING to do with the airport. The Port of Oakland runs it, and THOSE are the idiots who elected to change the name of the airport. Here is the text, albeit long, of an email I sent to the Port of Oakland directors before renaming the airport.

Good day. I am writing to ask the following questions.

Why is the Port of Oakland even considering a name change that incorporates the San Francisco in it? "San Francisco Bay International Airport?" People flying into Oakland are not confused by the name Oakland. If they were doing an international connection, they would have flown into SFO. If the Port of Oakland wants to distinguish itself, it should build up the shoreline to the west of runway 30 and construct another runway to make Oakland International a dual-runway airport. It would certainly increase capacity and be a factor in attracting more international air traffic.

Oakland’s North Field ALREADY has runways 28L/28R AND 10L/10R. Did the Port of Oakland forget that SFO ALSO has runways 28L/28R - 10L/10R?

Apparently, no one at the Port of Oakland Planning group thought about what they are going to do when 747s and Super Jumbo Airbus A380 jets start landing at Oakland's North field because they were cleared to land on runway 28L or 28R.

These airports are too close together to even remotely raise the possibility of confusing radio communications for pilots on final descent into either airport. When you can stand on the shoreline at Oakland airport and see planes taking off and landing from SFO, that is too close.

I was a resident of Oakland from 1968 - 2006 and know the workings of both airports. Before the magnetic shift in 2013, the main airport runway was designated Runway 29, and North Field runways were 27L/27R. After the shift, the single runway was redesignated Runway 30, and runways 27L/27R were redesignated 28L/28R.

It was the plane spotting crew that I am a part of - Cali Planes - that you probably saw on every news channel in the free world a few months back capturing the wheel that fell of United #35 at SFO.

We don't want our next breaking news story to be of an A380 having to do a go-around because the pilots discovered they were directed to Runway 28L at Oakland instead of SFO's 28L.

We understand that the interim Director of Aviation at Oakland International Airport, Mr. Craig Simon, previously worked for 11 years at San Jose Mineta International Airport. It would seem that he would know what a confusing situation it would be to have two airports within line of sight vision of each other with the name San Francisco in both of them.

In New York City, LaGuardia and JFK share airspace but neither of them incorporates New York of NYC in their names..

Perhaps Oakland could give airlines flying to Oakland some incentives to want to use it as a hub. At least once or twice weekly we at Cali Planes see the difference in International carriers that utilize SFO... Oakland could try to attract some of that business.

The Long Run may involve building an international terminal and concourse. One thing that the Port of Oakland could consider in the mix is the Alameda to San Francisco Ferry terminal up the street from the Airport, and make it an Oakland to San Francisco International Airport Ferry.

But, whatever the Port of Oakland does, PLEASE leave the name San Francisco out of any name changes. Maybe the Port should partner with the City of Oakland to get the crime rate under control, which would make it more attractive to fly in and out of Oakland.

The Port of Oakland should go back to its early days, and rename the airport to honor an aviator whose last flight originated from Oakland in May of 1937... Amelia Earhart.

I think many people would support renaming the Airport Oakland Amelia Earhart International Airport.

We welcome your response.
Leander D. Williams
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TiredTom
Tom Bruce 1
that said? the Oakland City Council are IDIOTS... maybe they didn't mess up the airport name..but they've messed up everything else..
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LeanderWilliams
Leander Williams 4
Many other names could have been chosen. Hell, the East Bay International Airport would make more sense. When I began researching the history of Oakland airport, I learned that even Charles Lindbergh had flown into Oakland several times. Oakland has gone downhill ever since my friend Judge Lionel Wilson was mayor. He was the only mayor in San Francisco or Oakland that allowed the Concord to visit Oakland -- ON TWO OCCASIONS.
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Nicolus
Nicolus 3
The city that brought you "Ebonics"... Remember that folks? Class, we be havin' a pop quiz today!
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JamesWhitaker
James Whitaker 8
Ryanair flights do this regularly.
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ghstark
Greg S 5
They're going to have to change the name. It is confusing, especially to people for whom English is (at best) a second language. They need to change the name. If Oakland really wants to claim the Bay as its own *and* piss off San Francisco, they should just call it Oakland Bay International Airport.
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Airbusbreath
Airbusbreath 5
Forty plus years ago a pax connected to our Beech 99 flight from SLC to Logan, UT. (LGU)

Got off the 99 and said, "This isn't Boston."

He had told his agent he wanted to go to Logan, meaning, of course, the airport.

I was told it wasn't the first time.
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jimquinndallas
Jim Quinn 16
I wouldn't want to fly into Oakland no matter what they call it.
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pulseins
Scott Haas 4
My stepbrother married a Mexican citizen. When he intended to fly to Vancouver Washington he accidentally bought tickets to Vancouver BC Canada instead of Portland OR. Vancouver WA does not have a commercial airport and is served by the the Portland airport just across the Columbia river. This was before 9-11. ID procedures were much more lax at the airport and when he and his Mexican citizen wife landed in Vancouver BC Canada, without passports, it took days to get the paperwork together to get her back to the U.S. Oops.
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rickascott
rick SCOTT 4
This happens in Orlando a lot. Foreign low cost carriers use Orlando-Sanford International Airport because the landing fees are much less. Passengers hop into a cab and are quite surprised when they are an hour away from their hotel instead of 20 minutes.
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houseofgold
houseofgold 4
Too many advertisers embedded in article, I lost interest
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frankidee
Frank DeLeon 7
Another paywall. God, I hate Aeroxplorer articles!
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jkeifer3
Joe Keifer 3
Wrong Way Corrigan.
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coinflyer
coinflyer 7
Very simple solution: Rename the airport to "Oakland San Francisco International" (OAK), and by putting Oakland first all confusion vanishes, except for the simplified Chinese who will still have to figure out a way to differentiate Auckland (AKL) from Oakland.
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Propwash122
Peter Fuller 0
Putting the location city first seems to have caused no confusion for passengers using the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport MHT, or the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Regarding the squawked article, the aeroxplorer website again gins up an inconsequential issue in order to draw in clicks and eyeballs. Usually they’re not worth a read.
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sabre45
Joe Vincent 5
Typical. Change the name for the .0005% of the customers who can't tell the difference between California and New Zealand airports.
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chugheset
chugheset 4
The article says: The Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners stated that the name change was due to many reasons. One of the reasons was that many travelers do not know that the airport directly faces San Francisco Bay, or that the City of Oakland is actually part of the Bay Area."

How many travelers whose actual destination is Oakland didn't know this? Seems a bit disingenuous and that they intentionally obfuscated the name for this exact reason.
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LeanderWilliams
Leander Williams 1
The idiots at the Port claim that SFO doesn't own the shore that the Port has dominion over 22 miles of East Bay Shoreline. I have always wondered why, if the Bay off Oakland airport is less than 20 feet deep, why the Port never built up that area, constructed another runway, and made Oakland Internation a dual-runway facility. I hope SFO prevails in their lawsuit.
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hangar14
Rick D 2
Passengers Fly to the Wrong Airport After Oakland Airport Renaming
Isn't it the pilots who flew to the wrong airport? The passengers were flown to the wrong airport.
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emlouise
Em Fairley 2
Nope. The pilots flew the correctly scheduled flights. It was passengers who mistook the newly renamed OAK for SFO because San Francisco is now the first part of the name
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phanleypri
Patrick Hanley 2
Trying to add some flavor to their name. Like sitting in an outhouse with a lighted candle.
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jamespdoherty
Jim Doherty 2
MHT changed to “Manchester-Boston Regional Airport “ despite being 60-90 minutes north of Boston on a good day.

Not sure how many people have fallen for that.
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musocat
James Patterson 2
Cities that are ashamed of themselves, apparently. The so-called "Hollywood" Burbank airport (it's freakin' Burbank!), the "Los Angeles" Angels of Anaheim (a long, crappy drive from LA)... And this.

Cripes, have a little civic pride! I suppose I must admit that could be difficult for Oakland.
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clyde714
clyde714 2
Excellent point! If you've got to name it, name it properly. The airport in Burbank can be none other than Burbank Airport. "Los Angeles" Angels of Anaheim are the Anaheim Angels. And that airport in Oakland is just that, the Oakland Airport. Why in the world would the people responsible want to use names that are at best confusing, and at worst, misleading to their customers?
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TomHardie
Tom Hardie 5
OAK to downtown San Francisco = 22 miles
SFO to downtown San Francisco = 13 miles
LHR to London = 19 miles
LGW to London = 40 miles
LTN to London = 35 miles
STN to London = 39 miles
London Oxford to London = 62 miles

Just how thick can passengers be?
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BradAzevedo
Brad Azevedo 3
OAK is not much farther as the crow flies, but drive times are at least double or triple those from SFO due to traffic. The Southwest loyal are the only people I know who use the Oakland airport to get to this side of the bay. The Oakland airport is typically only used by those traveling to the East Bay.
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Duane1950
Tom Clarke 2
I never realized how many a$$holes comment on this site. Wonderful glimpse into how thin the veneer of civilization is.
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jnlketcham
Jesse Ketcham 1
Incredibly brain-dead...
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firizawa
firizawa 1
I used to live next to the Oakland airport. SFO is actually not in San Francisco, and is only a little closer to the city than the Oakland airport. If a passenger landed at Oakland instead of SFO it wouldn't be a problem because it's just a few minutes further from the city than SFO. So it's really no big deal and probably cheaper to fly into Oakland than SFO.

Personally, I found that flying into Oakland was much better because SFO is often fogged in. Your likelihood of having your flight delayed because of fog is actually pretty high at SFO> Just for safety reasons, I would chose flying into Oakland over SFO. I remember several times landing in Oakland in bright sunshine while looking at SFO across the bay being completely socked in by fog.
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chris30o0
chris30o0 1
It is the same with Frankfurt (FRA) and Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN) which are actually about 1.5h (3h by bus/train) apart.
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WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
There are those who just cannot leave well enough alone.
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divingfe
Mike Jaureguy 1
SGN is the IATA dsignation for the main airport in [old] Saigaon/ new Ho Chi Minh City.
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mlevine
mlevine 0
Welcome to California- the land of fruits and nuts, and this says nothing about the local produce.
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Nooge
Nooge 3
You reveal your old age
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TiredTom
Tom Bruce 0
yes, it is, and the top of the list is San Fran and Oakland
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Nicolus
Nicolus 1
Oh California... It never ceases to disappoint me.. I mean, amaze me!
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spinoneone
Paul Wisgerhof -1
P.S.: The ICAO designaior for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, remains SGN.
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divingfe
Mike Jaureguy 1
No, ICAO designation for Tan Son Hut (old Saigon/new Ho Chi Minh Cit5y) airport is VVTS.
IATA designation remains SGN.
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pvn
pvn 0
really fascinating but irrelevant to this story
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gmtmacs
Gary MacCallum 0
It seems that the pilots did not take a glance at the Notams or the flight plan before departure!
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LeanderWilliams
Leander Williams 2
You miss the point. It is not the pilots doing the mistakes here. People who want to fly into SFO now may end up in Oakland because of the Name San Francisco now in Oakland's name. Pilots may end up having problems when flying to Oakland and suddenly getting cleared to 28L. They will go to SF when they planned to go to Oakland, because 28L at Oakland is to the GA field, not the international airport.
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MarkQuinn
Mark Quinn -6
Given the unlawful reputation and danger made possible all around OAK by Oakland's refusal to enforce the law, OAK resorts to deception to lure unwary travelers. Car rental companies warn customers to, under no circumstances, stop for gas or anything else anywhere near OAK. Welcome to a city run by the left.
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ensley6969
Charles Ensley -8
Should have just called it Africa USA Airport. Oakland has been on a stead decline since the 70's. Place has morphed into some bad Hollywood crime ridden movie.
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divingfe
Mike Jaureguy 5
SHAME on you!!!!
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BillOverdue
Bill Overdue -1
I think the article is more confusing than it's contents: "Passengers don't fly the airplane"!
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pulseins
Scott Haas 2
...it is confusing travelers.

Passengers Ending Up in the Wrong Airport

...multiple reports of passengers flying to Oakland instead of San Francisco...

...passengers were flying to SFO while their intended destination was Oakland.

Passengers Fly to the Wrong Airport After Oakland Airport Renaming


All these above are from the article. I'm not sure where your confusion lies. Nothing about who flies the airplane, just about passengers buying tickets to the wrong airport. Now if it had stated passengers "piloted the aircraft" I'd buy in but passengers do fly, even if they were not at the controls.
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BillOverdue
Bill Overdue -1
"Passengers fly to the wrong airport"?
Should be "Passengers were flown to the wrong airport"!
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pulseins
Scott Haas 1
That would be correct...but headline rules allow a lot of leeway to condense words usually so I doubt the grammar police will try to prosecute this one.
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bixlercs
Samuel Bixler 2
Better yet would be something along the lines of "Passengers Select the Wrong Destination", making it clear that it was the passengers fooled into choosing a destination they didn't intend, not the airline or pilots.
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spinoneone
Paul Wisgerhof -1
Ronald Regan Washington, DC, National Airport. The locals call it Regan or National.
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coinflyer
coinflyer 13
And it's Reagan, not Regan. Donald Regan, btw, was Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Treasury.
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jmadunleavy
John D 1
Regan was chief of staff too, if memory serves.
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musocat
James Patterson 4
I still call it National. Nothing against The Gipper; I'm just old and National is just better.
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pvn
pvn 2
this isn't even close to the same thing, come on
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ed7778
Dennis Stockton -9
I was shocked to read that it wasn't named after an African thug who was shot by police.
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awesomerpower
Christine Smith 3
Don’t be a racist pos
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ed7778
Dennis Stockton 0
I'm no Democrat.
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Duane1950
Tom Clarke 2
No, but you are a racist.
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