Aer Lingus say bookings are strong for LGW but of course they're going to say that, it's a matter of whether you believe them or not. We won't know for sure until much closer to the base opening and after the first few months of operation. I've been checking the fares frequently and although not an exact measurement of loads, the seat maps on certain dates do seem to be filling up and fares are rising, especially on the Malaga route so hopefully that is an indication of strong bookings.