Originally Posted by
JSCL
If LHR expansion means BA move some flights out of LCY, that's good news. The carriers waiting to fly in to LCY can finally get some decent slots maybe...
Which "carriers waiting to fly into LCY" would those be? I know the airport likes to claim that there's some huge demand out there by other airlines... but I don't see it. When a small carrier like Blue Islands can come along and promptly get well-timed am and pm slots, that just confirms for me that slot availability is not the dominant dissuasive factor for new LCY entrants. The issue is getting enough high-yield passengers to justify the sky-high (and climbing further) LCY charges. And those charges are there because GIP wants to be able to show an attractive aeronautical revenue forecast as part of the sale memorandum. For the moment, the big LCY carriers have been gritting their teeth and accepting this, but sooner or later, someone's going to give up.