Future of domestic routes at LHR?
With new long haul routes (e.g. India) and the prospect of more (US, when the new EU/US deal comes in) in due course, something is going to have to give and I'm just wondering if we might get to a stage where domestic routes will be cut back more and more. Even with mixed mode, whenever that happens, I can see a position coming about - possibly by the end of the decade where the only domestic sectors will be MAN, EDI and GLA ... which already have significant links to other major hubs.
I know it's extremely naive to think that fairness has much to do with it, but it's strange that for an airport which is regularly described by the GOVERNMENT itself as one of the most important engines of economic growth, they seem to have very little to say (and are prepared to do less) when airlines decide to end domestic links to LHR. With a finite number of slots and the likelihood of the new runway being delayed to the far end of the next decade (if it ever happens), the prospects aren't particularly good.
Anyway, are there any views about the prospects of protecting this access?