I seem to remember similar scathing comments about LPL a few years back ... now look, a 5 million passenger a year airport next year.
The truth is BLK has a good future, you are right, it';s not LHR but then is that such a bad thing?
Fact is BLK has several things LPL and MAN do not. First it has Blackpool ... like it or loath it (arguments exist for both camps) it s a major UK tourist attraction, with theme park, beaches, golf and soon casinos ... all generating significant volumes of inbound traffic.
Then, it is the closest airport to the Lake district by at least 40 minutes (after many many nights on the M6 ... trust me!)... a very strong inbound tourist destination and it is only 5 minutes from a good (and quiet by comparison) motorway connection.
O, and did we mention that is is the closest airport for around 2 million people in the North West .. so there is the outbound market!
There will always be some people who scath the airport and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I thik it is fair to say there is room for significant growth at BLK.
Now, who would go to BLK when they can go to LPL ... well who would drive for nearly 2 hours when you can drive for one, the car parking is cheaper and the fact is, it is so easy to use.
The airport will always compete with LPL and MAN and every other airport with a road to it, but I think it is very unfair and unjustified to just dismiss the place!
Now everyone knows (current owners included) that the airport needs work, but then go back and look at any airport at BLK's stage of development and find me one that didn't need development ...
GJK22