Newcastle International’s website takes flight

An exciting new website has been launched for Newcastle International Airport, marking the first major project to be completed as part of their continued strategic partnership with business and IT consultants Waterstons.

The new website, www.newcastleinternational.co.uk, has a fresh, modern feel and has been designed entirely around the needs of the customer.  Waterstons and Newcastle International worked together to undertake a detailed analysis of visitor patterns on the old website to determine the most frequently visited pages and the way in which customers navigated their way through the site.  The redesign was then developed on the basis of these findings, ensuring that users could access the most relevant information with only a minimal number of clicks. 

Newcastle International Airport’s Marketing Executive, Mark Clancey said: “We have seen a steady increase in visitors to our website in the last few years, peaking at 20,000 unique visitors in just one day in July this year.  The new site has been designed specifically to give all our customers quick and easy access to the information they need, whilst incorporating the latest Newcastle International branding into a modern and visually appealing design.”

Enigma Interactive were chosen by Newcastle International to produce the visual designs for the website at a blind selection facilitated by Waterstons.  Following selection, Enigma Interactive worked closely with Newcastle International to produce the final design.

Some of the most popular features of the website are live flight arrivals and departures as well as car park bookings, 25% of which are now taken online.  Security information is displayed prominently whilst information on Newcastle International’s shops and restaurants, along with their opening hours, is also easy to find.  Customer feedback prompted the inclusion of a map of the terminal building and a Google location map providing interactive directions to the airport.

In addition to addressing the needs of passengers, the new website also features a new business section which caters for Newcastle International’s expanding business community.  Services such as the Airport’s Fire Training Academy are now featured, along with commercial opportunities, cargo and freight, property and the recently acquired Samson Aviation business.

The transition to the new site has been simplified by Waterstons’ use of a content management system which Newcastle International’s staff were already familiar with, allowing them to maintain the site in-house.

Mark added: “The public-facing part of the site looks completely different, but behind the scenes we are working in exactly the same way as before, which is fantastic for us.   We are very pleased with how the website redevelopment project has turned out and we are excited to see how the new site performs.”

Waterstons’ Account Director for Newcastle International, Nadine Crich said: “We have been working in strategic partnership with Newcastle International since 2003 and are now working closely together to develop the current IT strategy to take the airport forward to 2010.  The new website forms an important part of this strategy and provides a valuable asset to support them into the future.”

Pictured: Waterstons' Account Director, Nadine Crich, with Newcastle International Airport’s Marketing Executive, Mark Clancey.