Dear Editor, I saw several letters recently regarding a proposal to remove the word ‘International’ from Birmingham Airport.
Since then, I have travelled to Hong Kong via Dubai, and fully endorse the proposal on the basis that Birmingham Airport would have to improve tenfold to get into the same league as Hong Kong and Dubai airports.
The food concourse, which is the area visitors move through after immigration control, is on a par with New Street Station in terms of buzz and ambiance – it’s hardly a great selling point for Birmingham or the West Midlands.
The other thing which is very noticeable is that all notices in Hong Kong and Dubai are displayed in English as well as Chinese or Arabic.
In Hong Kong, all announcements on public transport are made in English as well as Cantonese. Birmingham Airport uses only English.
While this is standard in most parts of the UK, one might expect to see a few multi-lingual signs at international ports of entry, even if it’s only “Welcome to Little England”!
Professional Brummies might say dropping the word ‘International’ is a sign of refreshing honesty and lack of pretension – I would say the airport simply doesn’t deserve to use it, and using it must be a breach of trade descriptions.
Katherine Gordon
West Bromwich
