Stansted launches ‘honesty box’ water stations

The departure gates in the international departure lounge at Stansted Airport unveiled a new feature recently – water stations to allow passengers to grab a bottle of mineral water before boarding their flights to keep themselves hydrated once on the plane.

To make the process quick and easy to prevent delays, there are no vending machines, tills nor retail staff collecting payment. Instead, these are the first water stations of their kind in English airports to have honesty boxes.

“We’re relying on people to put in a £1 or essentially what they can afford,” said Cina Barreto, Account Manager – Experiential at Blackjack Promotions, which is providing personnel to monitor stock levels across Stansted’s new water stations. “A team member will visit regularly to check bottle count, ensuring the shelves are full and deliveries have been put out, so there is always a constant supply available for passengers.”

Early signs suggest that travellers are delighted with the new service.

“The convenience factor is certainly going down well and people so far have been using the honesty boxes, indicating that they are happy to pay for the service, which they are clearly viewing as a kindness on behalf of the airport, not to mention feeling trusted,” Barreto added.

Certainly the popularity of the service indicates that it’s doing travellers a world of good by helping maintain their hydration levels in the air.