I agree with you completely going loco.
I am often asked by friends, family and neighbours why all the holiday flights from LBA are booked up. There can only be one answer and that is that demand far outweighs supply in this area. I am sure that if tour operators added some of the more popular destinations to their portfolio from LBA they would fill them.
My guess is that the tour operators do not wish to add flights from LBA as they know that the Yorkshire holiday makers will travel to MAN if they can't get what they want from LBA.
What is needed is a tour operator that does not offer many routes from MAN to start a charter programme at LBA and they would make a killing.
As for the marketing department..................
I do not pretend to know what they are actually meant to do, but it would appear that most of the readers of this forum would do better given the job.
My suggestion is get rid of all but one (hopefully one knows what they are doing) and use the money saved to get 3 billboards on the M62.
The first on should say
ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR DRIVE TO MANCHESTER AIRPORT TODAY ?
The second, should be positioned just before the Trafford Centre and should say,
ARE YOU TIRED OF THIS QUEUE ?
And the third should say
JUST THINK,
IF YOU HAD BEEN FLYING FROM LEEDS/BRADFORD YOU WOULD BE IN THE BAR BY NOW !
LEEDS/BRADFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS YORKSHIRES OWN AIRPORT. use it or lose it.
I bet you would get more bums on seats for your marketing budget that they do now.