Welcome to Glasgow... or is that Wallace International?

[question everything]

Welcome to Glasgow... or is that Wallace International?

MARTYN McLAUGHLIN and DAVID CROW
The Herald
January 17 2006

Scotland's main airports should be rebranded to take advantage of the nation's most renowned cultural and historical figures, MSPs and tourism officials said yesterday. Using the image of current and past internationally known figures, they argue, could offer a way of celebrating the country's legacy and bolstering tourism.

Tommy Sheridan, Scottish Socialist party MSP, believes the terminals in Glasgow and Prestwick should capitalise on the names of William Wallace and Robert Burns respectively, but has stressed the public must have a say in any rebranding exercise.

(snip)

"Edinburgh airport should be renamed JK Rowling airport, with her permission, because she is probably one of the world's best known authors," he added. "They could have a whole Harry Potter theme which would be of great benefit."

(snip)

BAA Scotland dismissed the idea of rebranding. A spokesman said Glasgow airport's image has been established for four decades: "We don't see any merit in changing a name recognised internationally."

Flying high on fame
Leonardo da Vinci airport, Rome, Italy
John F Kennedy airport, New York, USA
John Lennon airport, Liverpool

Ronald Reagan airport, Washington, USA
John Wayne airport, Los Angeles, USA
Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, France
O'Hare airport, Chicago, USA, was named after Lieutenant Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a second world war fighter pilot
Logan airport, Boston, USA, was named after General Edward Lawrence Logan, a highly educated man who reportedly never flew

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/54344.html

[KamaAina]

1. "Now boarding through gate 9 and three-quarters..."

"Edinburgh airport should be renamed JK Rowling airport, with her permission, because she is probably one of the world's best known authors," he added. "They could have a whole Harry Potter theme which would be of great benefit."

But, would all Muggles turn up on the no-fly list? :-)

[tatertop]

2. that's good

[davidinalameda]

3. the list is incomplete

the airport in Charleston, WV is named after Chuck Yeager

[anitar1]

4. Now that one I really like! Yeager was a great pilot. n/t

[question everything]

11. Yes, and Houston after Bush I

But I think that they looked at major international and European airports. Remember, this story is from Scotland aimed at their readers.

Funny thing, one reason, some say, why Los Angeles does not change its name, is because then it will be known as Ex-LAX. No, John Wayne is not in LA but in Costa Mesa in Orange County, some 40 miles south.

Burbank airport a few years ago changed its name to Bob Hope airport. It used to be that airports were named after dead people only but then, the Bush dynasty and Houston are a separate kingdom.

[theHandpuppet]

5. The regional airport in very progressive Athens, Ohio...

... is named BUSH Airport! Okay, so it's named after Gordon K. Bush, but I wish the sign would specify that. For the longest time I thought it was named after one among the Bush crime family and it turned my stomach every time I passed that godawful sign!

[theHandpuppet]

6. I vote for the Sean Connery Airport

We could all fly the very friendly skies! :9

[DemoTex]

7. Port Lotniczy im. Fryderyka Chopina (my favorite)

Warsaw's Frederick Chopin Airport

[Taxloss]

8. I loathe this trend.

It's tacky and cheesy. JK Rowling International, yuk. It was briefly suggested that Heathrow should be renamed Princess Diana International, an idea that was drowned in a tide of ridicule. Naming airports after people just isn't British. One of our northern airports is being rebranded "Robin Hood" - ghastly, cheesy, tack, naff, etc.

Other notable named airports:

Indira Gandhi International, Delhi
Queen Alia Intl, Amman
Jan Smuts Intl, Jo'burg

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. And it isn't the one near Nottingham, to confuse travellers (n/t)

[DemoTex]

10. After Stanstead (N. London) went below mins one morning ..

.. I received this clearance: "JetStar November-123-Echo, you are cleared to the East Midlands airport, via (routing) ..." East Midlands? Where the hell is that? What about my alternate, Heathrow? What about Gatwick? It was a total cluster-fuck finding the routing on the chart and finally pinpointing East Midlands airport. I learned a valuable lesson about flying in a strange place that morning: Know the name and general location of every major airport within your fuel range, especially as the weather goes down. That applies double in countries with airports with non-English, non-placename airports.

[question everything]

12. This shows how important it is to have the name of the community

as part of the airport name.

You will know where Santa Ana Airport, or Burbank Airport are. But unless you are familiar with them, how easily would you be able to find John Wayne and Bob Hope airports?

Hint, in contrast to the story, John Wayne is not in Los Angeles abut some 40 miles south of it... such a distance may not be of significance to a pilot, though.