"as for Shannon being so unatractive at present ....... who the. . heck are the current two and a half million pax's that presently use it? ."
Probably poor unfortunates who want to go to Dublin and were herded off the plane as part of the infamous "shannon stopover".
As a general rule you can spot *voluntary* users of Shannon fairly easily - The're the ones wearing plaid trousers, "Erin Go Bragh" hats, and are loudly commenting on how green the countryside is compared to [insert widwestern state here].
The other people hanging around the terminal are sulking passengers who've just spent 20 minutes getting themselves (and all their handluggage) off a packed 767 and will now have to spend another 20 minutes getting back on.
Apparently this ludicrous charade is supposed to create jobs in SNN. In practice it costs jobs in other parts of the country because the first experience would-be investors have of Ireland is been herded around Shannon airport at 7 in the morning for no good reason before continuing to DUB, which is within commuting distance by American standards. This raises questions about whether Ireland is such a good place to do business in after all....
theRolfe