It seems as though San Francisco city officials have given in, and while the name is different from what was originally proposed, Oakland Airport is now legally able to put "San Francisco Bay" in its name.

The two-year-long legal battle is over regarding the Port of Oakland's attempt to associate Oakland Airport with San Francisco Bay, and the city of San Francisco's rejection of Oakland trying to hoodwink air travelers into flying there instead of SFO.

While the Port of Oakland isn't entirely getting its way, it is getting away with this: The airport shall heretofore be known as Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.

As NBC Bay Area reports, the two sides have settled the case, and this is the compromise they reached after the Port of Oakland had initially settled on "San Francisco-Oakland Bay Airport."

Oakland's airport will not be able to use "SF" when referring to itself, or in any hashtags on social media, according to the agreement. And the words "San Francisco" must always be followed by "Bay" in reference to the airport.

Neither side admitted liability, and no money changed hands, as the Chronicle reports. And the legal documents settling the dispute were all signed last week with little fanfare.

The Chronicle notes further that there is a list of prohibited names for the Oakland airport to use, and these include "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport," "Oakland San Francisco International Bay Airport," and "Oakland San Francisco Bay International Airport." The "international" part apparently belongs to SFO, and they don't want confusion there — even though Oakland Airport has long been home to international flights, albeit far fewer than SFO.

SFO director Mike Nakornkhet issued a statement saying that the agreement should provide "clarity" to air travelers so that they can make "informed decisions" about where to fly — but will it? It seems just as likely that people unfamiliar with the Bay Area could just assume that San Francisco and Oakland share an airport, just like Seattle and Tacoma do.

The attorney for the Port of Oakland, Mary Richardson, issued her own statement saying, "We’re proud Oakland fought for, and preserved the right to retain our airport’s full name that puts Oakland first and recognizes OAK’s location on the San Francisco Bay."

This controversy began in April 2024, when Port of Oakland officials announced out of the blue that they were considering changing the airport's name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. SF City Attorney David Chiu balked, a lawsuit was filed within weeks, and the Port of Oakland has dug in its heels ever since — apparently out of a desire to boost the airport's profile and increase traffic there. (Critics noted that the Port had been planning a big airport expansion which, based on a decline in business travel since the pandemic, was not justified by actual passenger traffic numbers.)

As recently as last summer, SFO and city officials were expressing their displeasure with the "Oakland San Francisco Bay" name, even accusing Oakland Port officials of not acting in good faith.

But apparently San Francisco officials weren't confident they could stop this in court, after Oakland appealed their injunction to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and once they put "Oakland" in front of the airport name.

Anyway, we probably haven't heard the last of this kerfuffle, because the confusion for passengers seems inevitable. But we'll see.

Make sure to tell your elderly relatives there's a difference between the two airports.

Previously: Sure Enough, SFO Not at All Receptive to Oakland Airport’s New Proposed ‘San Francisco' Name

Top image: Monitors show boarding groups at a Southwest Airlines gate at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport on January 26, 2026 in Oakland, California. Southwest Airlines will launch a new seating policy tomorrow, marking the end of the carrier’s decades-long open-seating tradition and a significant change to its long-standing boarding process. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)