Rainboe,
You say "If we don't try and keep London as an aviation, customer friendly hub, then the ramifications will be severe."
I hate to be critical but, assuming you're talking of LHR, your tense is wrong. LHR is certainly not customer friendly. Its terminals are distant and require a good mixture of hoof, bus and/or train - mini and/or Heathrow Express to connect - often on the same carrier!
Not to mention the primitive and 'unknown duration' of transfers twixt LGW and LHR.
I'm based in a secondary city in mainland Europe and do not connect through LHR. Why would I when I can go through MUC, AMS or even FRA- Paris is only marginally better than LHR.
Sorry but the rot has set in, for those of us with a choice, and big-league action is needed to counter the decline of which you speak. IMHO of course.
Happy Christmas.
Saman