Luton Airport aims to ditch 70s image

Luton Airport is looking for a full service advertising agency to create advertising for a &£2m brand relaunch.

The airport, which has a brand forever immortalised by Lorraine Chase in the Seventies’ Campari ad, is trying to shake-off its package tour image. It is now known as London Luton Airport to bring itself in line with other London airports.

The review is being overseen by Mandy Round, Luton’s sales and marketing director, who is using the services of the AAR.

Round, who joined Luton Airport three years ago, says she has already narrowed the process down to three agencies. “In the past, we have had design, advertising and media done separately. We now want someone to do the lot for us.”

The airport’s board will make the final decision on which agency to appoint.

The review follows redevelopment of the airport. A new terminal – and railway station to serve it – was opened in November last year.

The airport handles more than 5 million passengers a year, 70 per cent of whom use scheduled flights. It says it has outlined plans to cope with annual passenger numbers doubling to 10 million by 2004.

Budget airline easyJet is in a dispute with the airport’s owner, Barclays Bank, over a claimed 300 per cent rise in landing fees.