Not Banksy, not Brunel, just plain old 'Bristol' Airport

Ooh we journalists love a breaking story. And secrets. Sometimes it doesn't even matter how big the actual news is, just so long as we know it first.

So hold the front page, Bristol International Airport is to be renamed as ... drum roll... Bristol Airport! Staff were told at a spectacular unveiling - pictured above.

I'm told they didn't think long about celebrities. Shame really, we've had some great suggestions from people online. The usual suspects yes: Brunel, "The Wurzels International Cider Export Facility", but some new ones too. Would our conservative airport bosses get all cool and sign up Banksy? Or how about another fine local band, 'Portishead'. Yes, a few problems there....

Radio Bristol's phones rang steadily through the morning with more. Concorde, Frank Whittle (admittedly a Gloucestershire man) and from one resident of nearby Redhill, "Bristol Inappropriately Positioned Often Fogbound".

So why did the airport reject all this fun in favour of straight, conservative Bristol Airport.

Two reasons, I think. One, because this is an airport, not a rock concert.
Airports are places you go to leave. You want clean, efficient, reliable. Be honest, are you looking for an iconic cultural experience? No. A funky airport risks being a trendy dad.

Second, for every Banksy-lover or Concorde enthusuiast in the check-in queue, you'll find someone who thinks graffiti isn't art and Concorde was the world's worst gas guzzler. These quiet opinions are held in check most of the time, until you go to book a flight. Then they can surface into irritation, maybe not enough to stop you choosing that airport, but a black mark nonetheless.

And when you look, there are very few airports named after iconic people. And look at who they are. John Lennon. JFK. Charles de Gaulle. Do I need to tell you which cities fly their names? Exactly. Even if you don't admire these people, you can't deny their pre-eminence.

So, on that yardstick, who did Bristol have to pick? I'm not doing our city down here, but you can see why bosses decided to stick with the contents of the tin: Bristol Airport.