Wednesday, March 02, 2005

What's in a Name? Try $2.1 Million

Renaming airports can be expensive. Folks around Washington found that out when Congress added Ronald Reagan's name to Washington National Airport in 1998.

Now the state of Maryland's thinking about changing the name of Baltimore-Washington International Airpot. Already a mouthfull, they plan to keep the current parts and tack on "Thurgood Marshall" to the front.

The Washington Post counts 17 syllables there.

Then there's the expense of chaning road signs, uniforms, business cards. It comes to $2.1 million.

Of course, locals in DC still refer to Ronald Reagan-Washington National Airport simply as "National." As they have since the 1940s. Chances are, folks will still refer to "BWI." No sense in delivering a long speech to a taxi driver when you're late for a flight.

Nothing against renaming something to honor the honored dead. It might be smarter to attach names to new places or phase the name change in slowly. Use up the old business cards before ordering new ones.

Of course, that's just my two cents worth -- on the $2.1 million dollar plan. (WashPost)

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