Lost Aerodrome Identities

[Madbob]

I don't know if this is an old thread or not but nowadays airports, aerodromes, airfields seem all to have lost their original identities.

Gone are the names like Ringway, Castle Donnington, Abbotsinch, Aldergrove, Ronaldsway, Roborough, Staverton etc.

When and why did this happen? It now gets very confusing when a city is served by more than one airport, eg Belfast, Bristol, London, Paris or Berlin. When the old names were used there was never any confusion. Now Ryanair for example offers a flight to "Milan" when they actually go to Bergamo. The same applies when they refer to Barcelona but the flight actually lands at Girona.

Call me nostalgic, but it would be interesting to list the old names alongside their new ones and see how many of the new names either mislead or are duplicated, eg. London (Luton), London (Stansted) - neither really are "in" London....

MB

[evansb]

In Canada, Montreal's Dorval is now called Pierre Elliott Trudeau International. Where, exactly, is Pierre Elliot Trudeau?

Ottawa, Uplands, is now called McDonald-Cartier International. Given the English-French appellation you would think the airport is located on the Ontario-Quebec border, but no, it is some distance from Quebec.

Halifax airport, located 14 miles NNE of the city of Halifax, is called Stanfield International. Most Canadians think Stanfield is a brand of underwear, not a dead Conservative Party Leader. Halifax should be called Halifax/Waverley.

And don't get me started on Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories, now called Iqaluit, Nunavut.

[spekesoftly]

It happened when the marketing people took leave of their senses! :(

And it has already been criticised by the CAA SRG for being contributary to at least one aircraft incident. (where the aircrew were unable to find a diversion airport's details because it was listed under its new and unfamiliar name).

[India Four Two]

Where, exactly, is Pierre Elliot Trudeau?Walking on water, somewhere? ;)

Most Canadians think Stanfield is a brand of underwear, not a dead Conservative Party Leader."Bob Stanfield - the best Prime Minister Canada never had."

I've always felt McCall Field was a much more interesting name than Calgary International.

['Chuffer' Dandridge]

Ryanair's policy of tellling us they go somewhere, only to find it's 70 miles away from where you want to go is nothing more than a con (hardly surprising really is it?)

'Belfast city' tells me its in, err Belfast City. George Best International tells me nothing more than its named after a drunken footie star.

How about:

London-Southend 'Crafty Cockney' international?

[fauteuil volant]

Just wait until someone starts advertising flights to London Lerwick!

[EDMJ]

Now Ryanair for example offers a flight to "Milan" when they actually go to Bergamo.

It happened when the marketing people took leave of their senses!

And they're selling Hahn in Germany as Frankfurt, between which there is a good 100 km to drive. There are also speculations that Memmingen in South Germany will passed off as Munich (also 100 km away).

Mind you, Stansted is not really in London either, nor is Malpensa in Milan....

[jabberwok]

Methinks you would sound a right wally in the pub if you said you had just flown from Robin Hood to George Best via John Lennon..

I blame Flight magazine - they never should have called Luton "Lorraine Chase International"... :}

[Phileas Fogg]

Referring to the original post exactly how many airports serve Bristol?

My understanding is/was that all those people that had bought their houses surrounding Filton airfield have/had an objection to those powered aeroplane thingies being anywhere in the vicinity.

[denis555]

Totally agree. Hopefully the remamers still incorperate the city/town name in the new name , ie Liverpool John Lennon Airport or George Best Belfast City Airport. That way we can all merrily ignore it and just call it "Liverpool" or "Belfast City" ( which is what the operatives call it anyway given the chance ) Look up Stanfield International on the Web and it's often referred to (even on the official site ) as Halifax International...

Personally I would rather eat a long dead dog than use such overblown monikers anyway.

[dixi188]

Sanity can prevail!

A few years ago East Midlands Airport was re-named Nottingham East Midlands (I think this is the one that the diverting crew couldn't find the plates for).
The nearset city is Derby, and it's in Leicestershire.

It is now back to its old name, although our company calls it Derby-East Midlands on our notams!

Re-naming of airports should be done in consultation with the crews operating into them and the regulatory authorities, not at the whim of owners and marketing men.

P.S. What's Manston called this week?

Also what about Pub names.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I think London (Manston) was a joke; it's 100kms from London. I believe it's now called Kent International.

Heathrow will always be "London Airport" to me, despite the handful or so other airstrips that want to be linked with the capital.

How about Nutt's Corner (Belfast) and Middleton St George (Teeside).

[chiglet]

Middleton St George (Teeside).

I believe that its original name was "Goosepool".....
Then there are.....
Elmdon,
Yeadon,
Turnhouse,
Dyce,
Squires' Gate
We're dooooomed......
watp,iktch

[chevvron]

How about Doncaster/Sheffield Robin Hood which most of us call Finningley?

[chiglet]

Ahh, but "Doncaster" is a grass strip, alongside the Racecourse....:8
D/SRH is a "Peel" name, especially as APC is done from "LJLA" :E
watp,iktch

[chevvron]

I can understand crews getting confused though; I spent several minutes searching the AIP AD Part 2 one day for details about Teeside, and eventually found it in Part 1 under Durham Tees Valley!

[Warmtoast]

Heathrow Director.
Heathrow will always be "London Airport" to me, despite the handful or so other airstrips that want to be linked with the capital

I totally agree. Once the airport was built in the late 1940's it was called "THE London Airport" (my emphasis), as witness this 1949 sign:


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Heathrowc1950.jpg

[Phileas Fogg]

But Croydon was thé 'London Airport' long before Heathrow came along!

[Warmtoast]

But Croydon was thé 'London Airport' long before Heathrow came along!


I've heard Croydon referred to as Croydon, Heston referred to as Heston and Northolt as Northolt, but never heard any of them called "London Airport".

[Hyperborean]

Up here we think London Airport is on Eday (EGED).

[denis555]

Mind as a self confessed piece of SLF I always refer to "Heathrow" "Gatwick" or "Luton" and never prefix them with "London" ( mond you if I did say to my wife "I'm off to London Airport" she may look at me quizzically for my quaint way of speaking - but she would assume Heathrow...

[Phileas Fogg]

That Luton Airport programme, recently on Sky3, cracks me up, it's London-Luton this, London-Luton that, never Luton but always London-Luton but when they're moving pax by surface, or accepting diversions, those are to/ from Stansted, not London-Stansted!

[overfly]

..no-one's mentioned Woolsington yet...

[faq]

Phileas Fogg; Sir

Some years ago a snack company with the same name as you used to manufacture some very nice Tortilla snacks. Not the over flavoured rubbish now comonly available.

Whatever happened to Phileas Fogg Tortilla snacks?

This might seem like thread creep but it is a History and Nostalgia thread!

[Barnaby the Bear]

Wasn't Bournemouth considered London during its phase as the only intercontinental airport in the uk in 1944, and for a couple of years thereafter? :}
Surely the only real London airport is EGLC. But anything within 30miles seems to be the accepted (EGLL,EGGW,EGSS,EGMC,EGKK) all within 1 hour journey time by train. (Sorry London Ashford you don't fit either criteria):8