Anger over Prestwick Airport pub's logo of a drunken Scot
23.02.06
Prestwick Airport bosses have been accused of shaming their nation, after they chose a drawing of a drunk Scotsman as the logo for their pub. A spokesman for Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire said the sign showing a passed-out Highlander was 'fun and visually stimulating'. But this is the same airport with the logo 'pure dead brilliant'.
One angry traveller said: 'As a Scot, I feel deeply embarrassed by it. Foreigners must think we're proud to have that kind of image if we go to the trouble of putting up signs showing ourselves as drunks.'
Another passenger added: 'A man in a kilt lying flat on his back with his tongue hanging out - what a terrible impression that sign conveys. He's drunk himself senseless. But because he's obviously Scottish, it's supposed to be funny.'
Bosses at South Ayrshire Licensing Board are looking into the sign. Part of the board's code of practice covers responsible promotions, campaigns or posters which could encourage binge drinking.
Board chairman Douglas Campbell said: 'The matter has been raised with the licensing monitoring officer. It may well come up as an issue the next time their licence is due for renewal.'
The Prestwick Airport spokesman said the drunken Scotsman was part of a 'rebranding' of the airport last year, with the slogan Pure Dead Brilliant. He added: 'Our aim was and is to provide our customers with a fun and visually stimulating environment in which to travel, and we feel we have achieved that.'
The revamped pub replaced the old Graceland bar at Prestwick. The pub was named in honour of Elvis Presley, whose brief stopover at the airport in 1960 was his only visit to Britain.
To book prestwick airport hotels or prestwick airport parking at the lowest price, click on these links to two great prestwick airport parking and prestwick airport hotels price comparison pages.
