SOU and BOH ("London West" in FR-speak?) probably have have a prior claim to this status ahead of BHX
Difference between SOU & BHX:
One has grandiose ambitions to develop a long haul network to places well beyond realistic demands, whilst spending millions on a runway, and relying on the government's heavily discredited rail project to make it happen. In the meantime, countless European capitals and major cities get ignored. Number of destinations served from BHX but not from LON?
The other has an incredibly diverse selection of routes considering its size, especially if you want to go to rural France. Airport management know pax can use the M3, M27 or an existing rail route, which stops right outside the terminal, and not in some stinking rubbish tip two km away, combined with an easy to use compact terminal. So a good proportion of passengers no doubt
do consider SOU as a 'London' area airport.
And which airport does the transport sec visit as an example of how best to use our infrastructure?
