Each summer, holidaymakers will leave 20.9 million tonnes of plastic waste in their holiday destinations, and research commissioned by London Luton Airport – a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – revealed inflatables as one of the most frequently discarded holiday staples.
In the past year, over half of holiday goers have purchased a new inflatable to take on holiday. However, many of these buys never make it home, as they are ditched on average after just eight days. This equates to over 54.5 million abandoned inflatables that are left on holiday.
Over half of those surveyed (61%) were open to buying ‘pre-loved’ holiday items, and more than a third (36%) have re-gifted them for fellow holidaymakers to use. Four in five (83%) would consider donating unwanted inflatables at the end of a trip, with 72% expressing a desire to be more environmentally responsible when holidaying.
In response, London Luton Airport has launched the ‘LLA Lilo Exchange’. A selection of free, pre-loved inflatables are available to passengers, enabling departing holidaymakers to drop off and pick up pre-loved floats. Returning flyers can drop off their used lilos as they arrive back, in exchange for a free fast track security pass for their next journey from London Luton Airport.
The initiative is part of the airport’s ‘LLA Resort’ summer campaign, which offers passengers exclusive deals with retailers across the airport, exciting competitions, unexpected giveaways and moments of in-terminal surprise and delight, all designed to help passengers to get their holiday started.
“We’re thrilled to launch London Luton Airport’s ‘LLA Lilo Exchange’ this summer – a fun and environmentally responsible way to highlight our simple and friendly passenger experience,” said Clare Armstrong, Head of Guest Experience, London Luton Airport. “As we all know, inflatables are one of the most loved holiday staples to travel with and, contrary to the belief of nearly half (45%) of passengers, deflated inflatables are allowed through airport security. Our Lilo Exchange aims to provide a fun way to encourage people to travel more responsibly by bringing back unwanted inflatables, so that other holidaymakers jetting off from LLA can do the same.”
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