The storyline of Home Alone might not be as far-fetched as first thought – with a quarter of travellers having experienced a last-minute gate-dash to catch a flight.
Much like the McCallister family’s frantic journey to catch a festive flight in the iconic 1990 movie, which respondents rated as the best Christmas flick of all, 18% have also felt the intense stress of being late to the airport.
According to the poll of 2,000 adults who have flown by plane, 13% have also missed an early morning alarm ahead of a trip away – or pressed the snooze button, which famously contributed to the family leaving son Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, at home alone.
The research was commissioned by London Luton Airport, which has recreated iconic scenes from the film to remind passengers to plan, pack – and set an alarm – in advance to ensure nothing, or no one, is left behind.
The video sees Kevin McCallister lookalike Tyler Stringer playfully make his way through the airport, getting a shock at duty free after applying aftershave on his face, dancing with mannequins in the airport’s retail stores and teasing a member of the duty-free team with a fake tarantula.
The survey, commissioned by London Luton Airport, also found that despite 78% of people creating checklists before traveling, over half have still forgotten essential items such as boarding passes, passports, or medication.
A lack of sleep, cited by 22% of respondents, was a major culprit for travel mishaps.
When travelling for the holiday season, 16% have forgotten the Christmas presents and 14% didn’t pack the cards. A third have even lost something while at the airport, according to the OnePoll data.
But 39% didn’t know certain popular festive items are not allowed through airport security, such as wrapped presents, jams and chutneys and snow globes.
To avoid leaving anything behind, London Luton Airport is offering a limited number of wake up calls for sleepy travellers, alongside free, often forgotten, travel essentials at airport information desks for a limited period in December.
Complementary toiletries available includes toothbrushes and combs, as well as sleep masks and wireless phone chargers.
Clare Armstrong, the airport’s head of guest experience, commented: “Our campaign offers simple tips to help passengers plan their journeys, pack effectively, and set that all-important early morning alarm.”
