Not free, GC. Subsidised.
Subsidised by both frequent flyers, and by the local and general taxpayer.
Frequent flyers will always subsiside infrequent flyers... same with road users.
The problem with Europe is that it doesn't have any frequent flyers. There aren't enough airfields, there aren't anywhere near enough airfields with instrument approaches (essential for business travel), and the IR (essential for business travel) has never been as hard to get as it is now.