Misleading airport names cause passenger confusion
By Darren Cronian on Sunday, October 4th, 2009

One of the news reports on the local news on Friday was about the future of Robin Hood airport, and how that it is seeing a reduction in the number of passengers. Some of the airlines are pulling out because of this. They expected to see 1.9million people depart, but the figure is less than half of this.

Misleading airport names cause passenger confusion

Passenger confusion

For a start I have never thought about booking a flight from this airport, and it is closer than Manchester or Liverpool airport. I think part of the problem is the airport’s name. I suspect many people assume that the airport is located in the Nottingham area, but it is actually in Doncaster, or Finningley to be exact.

Be honest, how many of you have heard of the airport, and would have guessed the location correctly.

Rebranding exercise for Robin Hood airport

I have no idea who flies from Robin Hood, whereas I have a good idea about the airlines that flight out of Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. So there’s obviously a rebranding and promotional exercise to be done here. I do not think it take a genius to work that one out.

Cheap way to promote an airport

I was also informed that the airport in Oxon has just rebranded itself, London Oxford, which is 60 miles away. I can understand why they might have wanted to change the name to attract more passengers, but isn’t it ridiculous, is this just a cheap way to promote an airport.

Misleading airport locations

It is a little like my favourite low cost airline that says it is flying to Oslo, but the airport is over 50 miles away from the centre of Oslo, and a 1 hour 30 bus ride away. I think that airport owners need to concentrate on marketing the airport rather than renaming them just to attract passengers

Interested to know what you think. Can you think of any other airports that have the same problems.


Related posts

Please enter your email address to receive my free newsletter

 



13 responses to “Misleading airport names cause passenger confusion”

David Whitley | 4 October, 2009 at 10:23 am

Most of the people flying from Robin Hood Airport are the Poles that live in the region flying home, you’ll probably find.

It’s technically my local airport, but I never use it. And the name isn’t the problem – the real issue is that it has appalling public transport links and not many useful routes.

The full name is Doncaster Sheffield Robin Hood Airport, but there’s no train link from either Doncaster or Sheffield. A more glaring oversight is that there’s not even a direct bus link from Sheffield – a city of over 500,000 people that the airport is supposedly serving.

I almost inevitably fly out of Manchester – it’s an hour and 15 minutes on a direct train from Sheffield. Robin Hood Airport is nearer, but it’s such a pain in the backside to get to. Once there, I can pretty much only fly to Spanish package holiday resorts and obscure Polish cities anyway.

Report this comment

Martin Rivers | 4 October, 2009 at 11:33 am

By the airport’s own admission, its marketing efforts have largely failed to create awareness among locals. If people in the catchment area aren’t even aware of its existence, how can they be expected to book flights?

Nor does the whole ‘Robin Hood’ name do them any favours. Your post mentioned that it makes people think of Nottingham, but on a more basic level it also just saps the gateway’s credibility. Recall Cardiff Airport’s now-abandoned plan to rename itself Tom Jones Airport (!). Or even Oxford’s decision to append London to its name. Those types of moves smack of desperation, and passengers will pick up on that.

Report this comment

Andy Sears | 5 October, 2009 at 12:18 pm

Would have believed it was Nottingham area myself, like the sign on the A1 ‘ You are entering Robin Hood Country’.

And no never heard of it, although If I would have done if they called it Finningley, as I know that name from the airshows I used to go to years ago.

Report this comment

James Avery | 5 October, 2009 at 12:25 pm

I have nothing against re-naming if it is done properly. Liverpool John Lennon is a great example – and our American cousins rename many of their airports, even if political affiliations might not suit everyone’s taste.

The problem with, well, what should I refer to it as – is that it is a long name trying to serve and airport which already had a long name (former Finningley airbase just outside Doncaster which is near Sheffield yada yada).

But also, I think it suffers from lack of effective marketing from Thomsonfly – something we have suffered only too well here at Coventry, which I’d love to see renamed after Frank Whittle if we ever get our passengers back!

Report this comment

Joanne | 8 October, 2009 at 9:04 am

I assumed it was in Nottingham!!!

Report this comment

Victoria | 9 October, 2009 at 10:44 am

East Midlands has also gone through a few rebrands. Many people still refer to it as Donnington but it has been also called ‘East Midlands Airport Nottingham, Leicester, Derby’ and ‘Nottingham East Midlands Airport’

I like some of the South American airport names. They are often named after people.
e.g.
Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport – Varadero, Cuba.
Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport – Brasilia, Brazil.

Report this comment

Graham Robertson | 9 October, 2009 at 12:07 pm

Mccarrin aka Las Vegas, Kingsford Smith aka Sydney. Las Vegas and Sydney would have been perfectly acceptable?

Report this comment

Keith | 9 October, 2009 at 12:10 pm

Frankfurt Hahn is another good example. It’s 75 miles away from Frankfurt! Duh! At least the South Koreans are honest. Seoul’s new airport is called Incheon International as it’s, well, located in the nearby port city of Incheon, 40+ miles from Seoul.

Report this comment

Sophie | 9 October, 2009 at 12:30 pm

Girona (Barcelona) is also a bit of a stretch. About 110 km between Girona and Barcelona.

Report this comment

Luke | 9 October, 2009 at 1:38 pm

There has been discussions regarding the name of Prague’s “Ruzyne Airport” to perhaps Franz Kafka Airport or Vaclav Havel Airport, it seems to have worked fine for Charles de Gaulle.

Report this comment

M Towers | 19 October, 2009 at 12:17 pm

@Keith

Incheon also has superb transport links with seoul and is even on the subway system.

Report this comment

James Clark | 26 October, 2009 at 7:51 pm

I think that the EU should ban airports from naming themselves after cities if it is not anywhere near the city. Afterall you can’t name a sparkling white champagne if it’s not made in Champagne, so why should somewhere like, say Girona airport be called Barcelona when it is 92 km away.

Report this comment

David | 4 November, 2009 at 1:16 pm

London Oxford, is absolutely nowhere near London (50minutes dont the M40 to the M25) and even better, isnt that near Oxford either! Perhaps Kidlington, as it should be known, does not strike a chord with anyone!
People do see through this, even London Luton is known only as Luton and the same can be said of Stanstead and Gatwick!

Clarity please?

Report this comment