The three-letter airport codes can sometimes be confusing.
That’s why the airport in Oakland, California, is considering a name change.
Some of the codes are easily identifiable like San Francisco International across the bay is SFO. How people are confused that the Oakland airport is OAK is the topic of another news story.
Let’s not even get into the marketing aspect because some airlines end up with a code that they really don’t want.
Think about the airport in Fresno, California, which is technically named the Fresno Air Terminal. Or FAT.
Let’s not even talk about the three-letter code for Fukuoka, Japan.
The problem is that officials with the Oakland airport found that most Americans outside of the West Coast don’t know the city. Or it’s airport code, for that matter.
“Market research both nationally and internationally has shown that majorities of international and U.S. passengers are unfamiliar with Oakland or our airport’s proximity to the San Francisco Bay,” port official Matt Davis said in a statement. “This lack of awareness depressed inbound passenger demand, even from passengers flying to destinations near Oakland.”
Perhaps it’s one reason why the Golden State Warriors basketball team move from Oakland to San Francisco. That and a new arena of course.
Perhaps officials will realize that the depreciation of flights into Oakland has nothing to do with the OAK designation and everything to do with the city itself.
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