2013-03-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — Passengers passing through Gatwick’s North and South terminals will be treated to a Michael Bublé-style serenade this Mother’s Day. The airport will also bring new meaning to the term ‘yummy mummy’ by treating passengers to delicious Mother’s Day cupcakes while they enjoy the mood music.
For passengers missing out on celebrating with their mums on Sunday, they will have the chance to send a special photo before jetting off. Mother’s Day message boards, shaped as bunches of flowers, will be available in both terminals for passengers to get snap-happy with – ensuring their mums get a special message directly from Gatwick.
The Bublé tribute act follows the success of the London Community Gospel Choir’s appearance at Gatwick for Valentine’s Day, which saw loved up passengers request ballads on behalf of their partners.
Graham Poole, Terminal Operations, Gatwick Airport, said: “It is fantastic that the airport puts on these kind of events for special occasions such as Mother’s Day. Gatwick is dedicated to making the passenger experience and passenger journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible and we really want to ensure that all of our passengers – but mums especially – will be seen off with a smile this Sunday.”
Mother’s little helper: Working with the Family Friendly Scheme,* Gatwick has made a number of changes to ensure parents enjoy a great journey:
– Kids play spaces – Gatwick has created two new kids play spaces in our North and South Terminals and also released a series of audiobooks on Soundcloud to keep young travellers entertained before take-off.
– Family Assistance lanes – We have created family assistance lanes complete with child friendly metal detectors (in the shape of a castle and a rocket) for departures and arrivals at security and immigration to make the area less daunting (and more fun) for kids. Staff working in these areas are specifically trained to deliver the best service to families.
– Pushchair service – We are trialling arrivals pushchairs in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, which means parents will have a pushchair available straight from the plane until they pick up their own at the baggage reclaim area.
– Live entertainment – We will be expanding our live entertainment programme to keep children amused and start the holiday spirit as soon as families arrive at Gatwick.
Over the past year Gatwick has been working with a group of independent experts to help identify and respond to the real issues affecting the travel experiences of different types of travellers**. Becky Wiggins (Englishmum.com) represented those travelling with families and worked with Gatwick on some easy top tips for travelling through airports with children including:
– Go with the flow and treat the journey as an adventure – if you don’t get stressed, then the kids won’t pick up on it.
– When travelling with younger children, pack an emergency bag – wet wipes, tissues, change of clothes and most importantly a sealable plastic bag
– Go with the flow and treat the journey as an adventure – if you don’t get stressed, then the kids won’t pick up on it.
– Save a couple of surprises to be whipped out when things are getting stressful
– Scan everything and email it to yourself – passports, tickets and travel insurance – you never know when things need replacing on holiday, and it’s much easier if you have all the details.
Notes to Editors
– Michael Bublé tribute act and cupcakes will be available in North Terminal departure lounge at 07:00 for one hour
– Michael Bublé tribute act and cupcakes will be available in South Terminal departure lounge at 09:00 for one hour
– *The Family Friendly Scheme is run by the Family and Parenting Institute – to find out more then follow the link here
– **The Airport Passenger Panel report was commissioned by Gatwick Airport to obtain an insight into what our passengers want and need from their experience at UK airports. For the press release and full report, please click here
For more information contact:
Gatwick Airport press office
t: + 44 (0) 1293 505000
e: gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com
About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves around 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 34 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport