Why Milwaukee's airport has a 'Recombobulation Area'
You just got through TSA at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. You’re missing a shoe, toiletries are bursting from your carry-on, and where is that boarding pass again?
A sign past the security checkpoint: Recombobulation Area. An invitation and a space to put your things back in order.
It all started in 2008, when former airport director Barry Bateman told the sign shop he had a great idea.
He was told “recombobulation” wasn’t an actual word, the airport’s director of public affairs and marketing Harold Mester said. Bateman knew that.
“He said, ‘Let’s try to make this a little bit more fun during this stressful experience. If someone gets a chuckle when they go through the checkpoint, then we’ve done our job.’”
As far as Mester is aware, Milwaukee is the only airport to use the “recombobulation” phrase. “Recomposure” is the more technical term, but as Mester pointed out, “that’s an actual word.”
The American Dialect Society once declared “recombobulation” the most creative word of the year. And the term has inspired other branding efforts in Milwaukee, from billboards to beer.
It’s also the namesake of a blog by Dan Shafer. As he put it, recombobulation is the “opposite of discombobulation.” He is often tagged in the many selfies taken in front of the sign.
The sign represents Milwaukee’s sense of humor about itself, Shafer said.
“It’s just one of those quintessentially Milwaukee types of things. It’s just quirky and weird enough and resonates with people.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why Milwaukee's airport has a 'Recombobulation Area'
