Avalon ranked in world’s misleading airport names

By John Van Klaveren
AVALON has been included on a list of the world’s most misleading airport names.
Online flight comparison site Skyscanner cited Avalon for using Melbourne in the airport’s booking name despite being 55km from the city.
City of Greater Geelong strongly lobbied Avalon owner Lindsay Fox and initial tenant Jetstar to name the airport as Geelong.
However, airport chiefs and politicians claimed it had to be identified with Melbourne.
The Skyscanner report said some budget carriers gave airports misleading names linked to distant cities.
“Many budget airlines use secondary airports because of the lower operational costs compared to more central airports, allowing them to offer cheaper flights,” Skyscanner said.
“Unfamiliar travellers might expect the airport to be located in the vicinity of the city.”
Skyscanner Australian market development manager Dave Boyte said regional airports could be convenient for some travellers depending on their final destination.
“However, travellers wanting to reach city-centre locations must factor in the time and transport costs of using a regional airport and compare them to a more central airport.
“If you fly to an airport with Melbourne in its name you’d expect it to be somewhere near the city but 55km isn’t what most would call close.”
Other ambiguous airport names included Paris-Vatry Disney Airport, 150km from central Paris and 112km from the city’s Disneyland park, and Munich’s Memmingen airport, 112km from the city.