As a "punter" give me my small regional airport every time!
When I go on holiday I refuse point blank to fly from anywhere other than my two local (midlands) airports, despite strenuous efforts by travel agencies to persuade me otherwise. I have found many other "customers" insist on doing the same.
It may "appear" cheaper to fly from LGW/MAN etc. but it's a lot more hassle. If I fly "local" I don't have to fight the jams round the M25 and then have the problem of what to do with the car when I get there. A friendly neighbour/relation can drop me off at the airport or the price of a taxi is not too prohibitive.
Total travel time door-to-door is a lot less and I don't have to mix it with the masses in the rat-race of the South East!
Yes, there may be fewer flights but give me a local airport to travel from every time.
These sorts of factors are often ignored by the "bean counters" - sometimes it's worth paying for a bit of convenience and what's more if you are travelling from LGW etc. at some ungodly hour you might have to stay overnight in a hotel which also adds to the expense.
Long live airports like BRS!
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