Originally Posted by
LTNman
Some weak arguments there plus assumptions. Luton is not a strategic airport. It is an airport that principally serves Eastern Europeans and U.K. holidaymakers looking for a cheap week in the sun or a weekend away. That market won’t disappear if the airport is not expanded nor will any jobs associated with the ramp or terminal.
The airport has many vacancies that even in the off season of November it can’t fill, as people don’t want to work there on 24/7 shift pattens on rubbish money. While LIA has some better paid jobs they also struggle to fill most of their vacancies as well so the jobs sit there for weeks if not months.
https://www.london-luton.co.uk/corporate/working-at-lla
Every now and again I publish the above vacancy list here. It never changes with the same companies always looking for staff. Now why would that be? I suggest a few people here who like to promote airport jobs pick a company from the above link and then look at their vacancies to pick that dream job.
The proposed new terminal and infrastructure requires a cheap low skilled workforce to support low and ultra low cost airlines who want to pay as little as possible. The airlines and airport operator tender out as much as they can with the winning bids coming from the companies offering the lowest price. Lowest prices usually means the lowest wages, part time work or zero hour contracts. As pointed out the skilled engineering jobs are disappearing fast.
The last quality company to leave was Gulfstream as LRT refused to offer them any land despite having acres of prime airside land available. Even with an expanded airport there is no additional airside land. Most of TUI moved out of the airport years ago with Easyjet planning to move its HQ outside the airport. Behind Percival Way most of the prime land and buildings there have been abandoned.
But that is what the public and the Industry wants and is no different from any other airport in UK and alot of the EU. Call it the Ryanair effect.
The employment I was referring to is Luton in general, as you keep saying the Airport is the Luton Council anyhow.
No new local jobs in no LU postcode is bad news. Luton has suffered enough with the loss of car Industry.
An expanded Airport will mean more jobs all round, more people paying taxes to boost local services.
No expansion will mean traffic going to other airports, benefiting their local economy.
Joe public will question why do I need to go to Essex, Sussex or Birmingham for my flight when there is a perfectly good airport local to me!?