I think that facts have to be faced.The Heathrow connection is gone and will not be returning unless BMI are given a Government subsidy to continue. In the present economic climate I think that fat and no are the chances. Politically something could be worked out but I don't think it is enough of a vote generator as most of the people using the flight on business did not fall into the category of natural Labour voters. In any case it only generated about 10% of the passenger totals at it's and the airports height and virtually no income for the main part of any airport nowadays ,the retail sector.
The way forward for most regional airports in the next 3/5 yrs has got to be mass transport to the "despised" bucket and spade resorts.
The once weekly flights to ALC and TFS generated almost as many passengers as the Heathrow flights and 10 times the income for the airports parking and retail outlets.
Locos do not have the confidence of the family holiday market in the numbers which the locos would have you believe but the major holiday companies still have a loyal following which is growing after last year's failures in the airline industry. People who are booking 9 months in advance want to be sure that their holiday with their kids is going to take place and be able to afford staggered payments through travel agents.
I do think that people can have a superior attitude when they decry hard working people who travel once a year to a popular holiday destination as being merely "bucket and spade" passengers and not really worth the trouble. They are the cash cows for any regional airport and should be wooed and encouraged along with the major holiday companies who carry them.
Mind you I have always wondered why it costs £80 more per person to fly from a small regional airport than from Gatwick. If it is merely extra fuel then the price of fuel must increase in the school holidays as that is when the flight supplements are greatest.