After pondering for months a name change to Bradley International Airport, the board that oversees the Windsor Locks-based airfield ordered a study of what else to call it and whether a new name would be worth the investment.
The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) unanimously voted in favor of the study during a Monday meeting, which demonstrates a clear interest in updating the airport’s name so that it clearly indicates where Bradley is located, said CAA Board Chairman Tony Sheridan.
“Our various consultants over the last year or two have mentioned there’s significant confusion about the name because it doesn’t geographically identify the location,” Sheridan said, adding that the success of Bradley’s Aer Lingus route and CAA’s courting of carriers for West Coast and other international routes are largely driving the board’s interest.
The idea of re-naming Bradley isn’t new, but it makes particular sense to consider it now, because planned infrastructure updates at the airport will include new signage, Sheridan said. So, if the name is going to be changed, that decision should be made before putting up Bradley signage, which could become obsolete.
That infrastructure work includes a planned $210 million ground transportation center, which will include 830 parking spaces that will put all rental car companies in one space on-site and eliminate shuttling to rental sites.
In addition, CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon has called establishing a route between Bradley and Seattle “by far and away our No. 1 task.” However, he’s found that people on the West Coast and East Coast tend not to know much about the other’s geography.
“We recently did a very quick survey to gauge folks name recognition,” Dillon said. “Folks are challenged with Bradley to name geographically where it’s located.”
The board asked CAA employees to complete the name-change study by the end of the year, Dillon said. That study should provide a cost-benefit analysis of whether it’s ultimately worth it.
”There’s a significant cost in rebranding and remarketing an airport,” Dillon said, from advertising down to changing stationaries. ”We have no preconceived notion of whether it would be a significant enough benefit to change the name.”
Another major consideration in any possible change will be doing it in a way that honors Eugene Bradley, the WWII pilot for whom the airport is named.
CAA has reached out to Bradley’s family, Sheridan said, but hasn’t yet received a response. But Dillon said CAA will be careful as to any name change, since, he said, the Bradley name represents respect for veterans in general.
“We want to be careful as to how we go about making sure that legacy is protected,” Dillon said.
