Anyone who took a look at this when the airport site was chosen knew it was simply the wrong place. It needs (needed) to be down between Margaret River and Augusta to serve that region. Too close to Perth and by turn, too far from the wine region that generates the tourist numbers. Fly there from Perth and you then need to hire a car to go anywhere. If you left "home" in a hire car at the same time you would drive to the airport then you would be there sooner in the hire car, allowing for one hour check in. As for direct flights from the East coast, not for twenty years.