Renaming airports

[Nov71]

After John Lennon (Livrerpool), George Best (Belfast), Robin Hood (Doncaster)
does anyone have distinctive name suggestions for other UK airports?
eg Amy Johnson (Humberside), I K Brunel (Bristol)
I would keep Heathrow (London) and prefer Ringway (Manchester)
May I suggest Lorraine Kelly (Luton)
Re-branding should be fun so suggestions please before BAA is sold to a foreign operator

[Loose rivets]

Ringway (Manchester)

Ringway? Ringway? Keep it? How'd it get called a name like that in the first place?:hmm:


Er, are we on our way to Jet Blast yet?

[Eddie Ginley]

Nov71... Clever, but not that clever...

I think you mean Lorraine Chase and not Lorraine Kelly (of GMTV fame).

In any event - it is over a quarter of a century since Ms Chase had any connection with LTN, and most people's memories are now failing ojn the subject - in fact your misnomer is proof enough of that.

Luv

Fast Eddie XXX

[GOLF-INDIA BRAVO]

Manchester is Manchester same as Birmingham is Birmingham they don`t need changing as they do exactly what it says on the can
G-I-B

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

G-I-B Well said. Heathrow should revert to "London Airport" and Gatwick, Stansted and Luton should miss out "London" from their titles. As for London Ashford (Lydd) Airport, which I saw mentioned recently... words fail me!

[The SSK]

As I posted on another thread, the CAA is apparently getting fed up with airports adopting bizarre or misleading names and may clamp down in future, although George Best and Robin Hood should get away with it.

The one I heard about was Southampton becoming 'Reginald J. Mitchell' which at least has aeronautical connotations.

[MerchantVenturer]

I think airport names should reflect the main town or city they serve.

I will take the thread starter's comment that Bristol might be renamed IK Brunel Airport. How many people would know where that was? There is already a Brunel University which is located a hundred miles from Bristol. I wonder how many know where it is situated without looking it up on the Internet.

Locally, Bristol Airport is still referred to by many simply as Lulsgate or Lulsgate Airport (from the nearby charmingly named hamlet, if it even merits that description, of Lulsgate Bottom), whereas, officially, it is now Bristol International.

Using the appellation 'International' seems a bit presumptious to me for a still smallish regional airport although, in fairness, the nearby airports of Cardiff, Exeter and Bournemouth also call themselves 'International' with less reason to do so than Bristol.

I like simplicity and it will always be Bristol Airport to me.

[chiglet]

GIB,
I take it that you are not happy with Elmdon,Yeadon,Ringway,Turnhouse or Dyce?
watp,iktch

[GOLF-INDIA BRAVO]

On a marketing side you need to make the city/s name prominent as something like Ringway means little to vast SLF if they are not locals to south Manchester unless they are over 50yrs, its not like New York where the names are household names

Just a thought which i`m sure will stir up many differing ideas
Chiglet what are your thoughts?

G-I-B

[Phileas Fogg]

Norwich could become 'Bernard Matthews International' or just 'Bootiful Airport', Carlisle could become 'Gretna Green International', Plymouth could become 'Francis Drake' or 'What A Load Of Balls International', Newquay could become, as the locals pronounce it, 'Nookie International', Halfpenny Green could allow for inflation and rename 'One Pound Fifty Airport' and Middleton/Durham Tees could be renamed 'Where The Fock Is It International Airport' :)

[frostbite]

I saw a suggestion on Ceefax that LHR should be renamed 'Margaret Thatcher International' !

[Phileas Fogg]

I saw a suggestion on Ceefax that LHR should be renamed 'Margaret Thatcher International' !

God Forbid, an airport should be trying to attract people, not drive them away :)

[chiglet]

Chucking the feline amogst the avians, I personally think that the "average furriner" thinks that London is England, and it matters not, what the "minor airports" are called. [The g/f has memory probs, returning to the UK from Amsterdam, she couldn't remember the "Nottingham" in NEMA :hmm: ] Ergo, if Hans Shmidt wants to fly from Munich to Manchester the Travel Agent or Airline web site will tell him that "Ringway" is Manchester, after all Paderborn[sp] attracts a lot of LoCo pax :ok:
watp,iktch

[GOLF-INDIA BRAVO]

Chiglet
I used to be one of those travel agent or rather business travel and can honestly say I don`t ever remember anyone asking or being told Ringway except by my old boss who would be about 75 now

Having said that I am proud of my local airport even though I am from down south near that LAP!

G-I-B

[Phileas Fogg]

Manchester is Manchester, Birmingham is Birmingham etc. to foreigners, it is clearly defined in the name.

Confusion can arise when an airport like 'Kent International' or 'Durham Tees' comes up, where the fock is Kent and where the fock is Tees a foreigner may well ask.

Ryanair have not helped the travellers geographical knowledge one iota, since when has Hahn been anywhere close to Frankfurt, it is closer to Cologne & Luxembourg than it is to FRA and that is just the tip of that iceberg.

[chiglet]

The point that i was trying to make,is that "Big City" airports already had names......
Manchester, Ringway
Birmingham, Elmdon
Leeds, Yeadon
Aberdeen, Dyce
Edinburgh, Turnhouse
London, Houndslow :ugh:
Now, it's London.....A
DITTO B
D C
ETC.... A brilliant "Marketing tool" :D
watp,iktch

[ILS Repeater]

I hear that LHR is to be re-named Costa Del London International Airport!

[Nov71]

I agree with Chiglet, Airports should have 2 part-names eg Manchester Ringway or Liverpool John Lennon.
Where is Humberside? This administrative region was abolished several years ago so technically now N Lincolnshire International. Hull is the nearest city, over an expensive toll bridge in Yorkshire. Grimsby or Scunthorpe could be contenders (!):D but Amy Johnson Kirmington International would satisfy residents on both sides of the Humber.

My apologies to both Lorraine Kelly & Lorraine Chase for my Luton gaff, thanks Eddie

[tilewood]

Washington Dulles should be re-named Washington Blair, after all
that's where his heart is! :hmm:

[seacue]

Responding to the renaming suggestion for KIAD:

Tacking person's names onto airports has become very popular here in the colonies. Just one person's name is no longer enough:

KATL Atlanta is now Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

KMSY Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Apparently it was originally name for another person, "Moissant".

KBWI Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. It was originally named Friendship Airport.

KDCA is Ronald Reagan Washington National AIrport, as we all know.

KSNA John Wayne-Orange County Airport. I once asked an airline employee if a flight went to Santa Anna - blank stare. Surely KSNA is named for Santa Anna, where it is located.


I now return you to UK airport names.......

[Impress to inflate]

Aberdeen Dyce now becomes Annie Lennox Int :ok:

[Richard Taylor]

:eek:

Annie Lennox is not a fan of Aberdeen, despite coming from here!!!

No thanks!!

How about Sir Alex Ferguson Intl, Willie Miller Intl or...Donald Trump Intl :}

Or given the current weather, Haar Intl :mad:

[Kalium Chloride]

Since the Spanish are about to take over London Heathrow, I vote that it be renamed after one of Britain's most famous historical figures...



...Sir Francis Drake :E

[chiglet]

Even better, Queen Elizabeth Airport :ok:
watp,iktch

[Yankee]

For the record Bournemouth dropped the International bit a while ago. Just Plain Bournemouth Airport.

[Nov71]

Found this on Aviation History & Nostalgia Pprune Board, posted by Genghis the Engineer


RJ Mitchell Airport?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following was in the letters page of this month's "Motoring and Leisure", which is the magazine of the Civil Service Motoring Association - although actually tends to cover quite a bit more than motoring...


Quote:
The prototype Spitfire, K5054, made it's first flight at Eastleigh Airport on 5 march 1936. This was followed by intensive flight testing in the subsequent months, often with it's design R J Mitchell (my father) in attendance.

Flight testing of production Spitfires then began and continued testing throughou the 1939-1945 war and included the testing of all the new Marks as they were developed by Supermarine. In total over 11,000 Spitfires and Seafires (the naval equivalent) were test flown at Eastleigh Airport. Therefore the association between R J Mitchell and Eastleigh (now Southampton) Airport is collosal. Accordingly I would like to propose re-naming the airport as: R J Mitchell International (Southampton) in recognition of the historic link.

This is particularly important since my father never received any award for his endeavours and high honours, such as a knighthood, have never been awarded postumously.

If you feel you can support this proposal it would be much appreciated if you would write to the owners of Southampton Airport, namely the BAA. Please address your letters to: Mr Marcus Agius, Chairman, BAA plc, 130 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LQ.

I do have the goodwill of many influentual people, but this is going to need all the support I can get. Thank you for your help.

Dr. Gordon Mitchell, Cheltenham, Glos

[Adamant]

Manston could become "Charles Dickens International Airport" :)

[Tommyinyork]

Leeds Bradford - Harry Ramsden International
Newcastle United - Alan Shearer International
Manchester - Gallagher International
Blackpool - Neil Tennant International
Glasgow - Rab C Nesbitt International
Norwich - Delia Smith International

[Jimmy_Squawker]

How does anyone feel about a "Plymouth Astrodrome" with scheduled services to the Moon and Mars? Preferably kept as a national asset and away from the looming talons of the Spaniards! :ok:

[EGBKFLYER]

Sywell could become Jo Wiley International once psycho gets his hard runway... (She's from Northampton).

He's already got one of the Brooklands Flying School aircraft signed by her...

[LFC24]

I absolutely hate airports with other people's names, no matter how famous/infuential they are/were. Glad to see CAA are cracking down on it.

[rolaaand]

Interesting thread. Quite topical in my home town of Ayr at the moment is Glasgow Prestwick. Anyone who has flown there recently will have seen the 20 year old "pure dead brilliant" catchphrase from Rab C Nesbitt plastered all over the place-pure dead !!!!e!. I think,along with many other locals that Robert Burns airport has a good ring to it.

[Nov71]

Be a bit confusing if every UK airport was called LFC24!
What does it have to do with the CAA? All airports are privately owned (as opposed to nationalised) & not by CAA.
Personal names have been given to transport throughout the years by manufacturers and operators
DC3 - Dakota, B17 - Flying Fortress? - "Memphis Belle", P1127/45 - Harrier,
'Shackleton' 'Lancaster' 'Comet' 'Concorde' 'Spitfire' 'Challenger' (shuttle)
"Rocket" "Mallard", SS "Great Britain" "Titanic", "Bluebird"

Airport names can be changed, unlike their unique 4 letter ident. Some interesting & humourous suggestions have been made. If we can only call them by their ident I suspect there will be a move for personal codes
eg Cardiff - TAFF, Heathrow - SH1T ( in memory of the sewage works!)
Humberside - FISH. What would the CAA prefer?

We could try the Communist system - public school No 346

[GOLF-INDIA BRAVO]

I suppose it`s a good job that Manchester doesn`t follow Leeds/Bradford and call it`s self after all the places it supports
Manchester Trafford Rochdale Stockport etc etc ie the councils that own it

G-I-B

[AGPwallah]

It's been officially announced today in Spain that little old Granada airport shall henceforth be known as:- "Aeropuerto Federico Garcia Lorca Granada-Jaen". Fact really is stranger than fiction!! :eek:

[StarWinder]

Many airports in India that had previously geographically-based names have been renamed for political reasons.

Delhi Palam is now Indira Gandhi, which is fairly understandable.

Bombay Sahar (intl) and Santa Cruz (domestic) are now collectively called Chatrapati Shivaji Airport, so now you have to tell drivers which terminal you want to go to. Renaming has just made things more complex.

Calcutta Dum Dum is now Netaji Shubash Chandra Bose, another mouthful when Dum Dum rolled off the tongue so well.:ok: