From Kitchen Sink to Mary Poppins: What Kind of Packer are You?

LONDON, July 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

London City Airport identifies five packing personalities

Would you be proud to show the inside of your suitcase or would you burn up with embarrassment?  London City Airport has found that its passengers fall into five packing personalities.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130707/626341 )

1. The Kitchen Sink Packer - Can't decide what to pack, dreads the thought of being caught without an essential item, so packs everything they could possibly need from earmuffs to an eye bath, even for an overnight trip to Edinburgh.
2. The Pants & Polo Packer - A person who knows what they need, plans a staple wardrobe, can manage with half of it and simply packs the bare essentials to ensure their bag will fit in the overhead lockers, saving time at check-in and arrivals.  Don't expect an impulsive outfit change or spare batteries for your camera.  A popular style amongst business travellers.
3. The My Case or Yours Packer - When families travel together they often start by packing individual cases for each family member but usually end up putting things wherever they'll fit, then moving them around to balance out the weight allowance.  Which case is the travel plug in?  The sun cream?  Toothbrushes?  Your guess is as good as theirs.
4. The Last Minute Packer - Mismatched outfits, odd shoes, no swimwear but three woolly jumpers… you get the idea.  Perhaps they should have gone straight home to pack instead of going for a pint after work to celebrate the start of their week off.
5. The Mary Poppins Packer - Mary Poppins is Practically Perfect in Every Way.  She can fit a standard lamp and a talking mirror into a carpet bag.  Enough said.

Whichever group you fall into, London City Airport has come up with the concept of Luggage Lifters (a modern take on the bellboy), and will be trialling them at peak times this summer to take the weight off your shoulders and help make your journey from the car or taxi to the check-in desk as easy as possible.

Declan Collier, Chief Executive of London City Airport explained: "In the summer months our regular business passengers take time off for a holiday and we see more leisure travellers using our services to France, Italy and the Balearics - bringing a lot more luggage than we're used to! Our passengers' packer personalities fluctuate wildly from groups of Pants & Polos and Mary Poppinses to a mix of Kitchen Sinkers, My Case or Yours and Last Minute Packers. The bags - and their owners - come in all shapes and sizes, and our Luggage Lifters concept is designed to provide a little extra help, whether you're carrying a pushchair, surfboard or entire walk-in wardrobe.  

"We always advise passengers to check their luggage allowance with their airline in advance so they have plenty of time to pack and avoid additional charges at check-in."

Notes to Editors

The Luggage Lifters trial is scheduled for week commencing 22^nd July, at peak times on 25^th-27^th July. Dependent on demand, it will be repeated at key times in August.

London City Airport (LCY) is the only London airport situated in London itself, just three miles from Canary Wharf, seven miles from the City and 10 miles from London's West End and linked to all via the Docklands Light Railway.  

Catering for over 3 million passengers and 70,000 movements annually, in 2012 LCY celebrated its millionth flight, 36 millionth passenger and 25 years of operation.  LCY offers a unique rapid transit proposition - a short check in, door to lounge, and a shorter arrival, tarmac to train.  11 airlines fly out of LCY, serving 47 destinations, eight of which were new for 2012, with six further announced in 2013.  The airport has permission to increase its operation to 120,000 movements per annum, which it intends to do by 2023.  Further information about the airport and its services can be found at http://www.londoncityairport.com.