JW95
It was actually the third attempt at LGW for Lufthansa, not the second.
Regarding catchment areas, they are a bit of a fallacy at times. STN, for example, is exactly 123 miles from my drive and is doable in under 2 hours.
I've used STN on well over 100 occasions. When Ryanair we're offering their £1 flights during the late 1990s and early to mid 2000s I was using STN at some point upto three times a week. I'm so pleased that I took the opportunity back then to visit destinations on the Ryanair network that I had previously been totally unaware of.
Although for me LHR will always be my preferred choice as it's just under an hour away by car from Southampton.
But for nostalgia reasons LGW and STN are and will always be my two firm favourite airports in the UK.