Airport - You've Got A Smiling Face

There's been a series of commercials running recently on the radio (I've heard them on LBC 97.3) extolling the virtues of Gatwick Airport.

There are two main ads, both of which feature a 'cheesy' 70s-style hotel lounge singer.

The first ad is obviously trying to get people to think of Gatwick as a great place for shopping, not just a place to fly from.

Sorry, but I've done a fair bit of travel in my time, both for business and pleasure, and I find airports to be  anything but a wonderful place to be; they're a pain in the proverbial. It's annoying enough having to be there hours before departure because you have to queue for ages to drop-off your bags, even when you've checked-in online, and the necessary security checks, before having to hang around for ages waiting until your flight is actually ready to board.

Airports take advantage of the situation, and of you, by attempting to sell you things. Back in the days of 'proper' duty-free shopping, even for flights to/from EU destinations, it was sometimes worth having a nose around. Not any more, though, as in many cases the 'special' prices can often work out more expensive than buying it in a regular 'high street' shop or store.

I remember reading an article a few years ago that said airports made more money through income from retail concessions than from aircraft landing fees etc.  Not only can I believe that, but it wouldn't surprise me if airports deliberately make passengers hang around for ages simply in order to entice them into the shops because it "gives them something to do".

I also find the restaurants and bars end to be over-priced and overrated.  The only saving grace for airport shopping is that it can often be possible to pick up paperback copies of recent books well in advance of their official publication date in 'airside' shops.

I'd like to be able to just sit down and read, or use the 'down time' to catch up on emails etc. but there's rarely any free wi-fi access (and I refuse to pay a small fortune just for 30-60 minutes), while in some airport terminals there seems to be a shortage of suitable seating; probably a further ploy to get people into the shops instead of sitting around not spending money.

The other ad in the campaign is for Gatwick Parking and, unless I've mis-heard it, the ad seems to give the impression that you come back from holiday, go to the long-term car park and you'll be amazed your car is still there. While the impression they want to give is that you can trust them to look after your car, it could easily be taken the other way!

Sorry, Gatwick, but your cheesy lounge singer commercials don't do it for me because I just don't believe  them; they don't match my personal experiences of what airports are like. Now perhaps if you had a campaign where you promised shorter queues, quicker check-in and security searches - and were able to deliver them - I'd be more likely to think about travelling through your airport whenever there was a choice.