Bad decision IMHO made after the problems of last year and the rain. This just seems to be all about making it easier to give refunds etc in case of cancellation again.
Having spent the whole show sheltering in a 12x12 in 1987, I know how miserable Fairflood can be in the rain and have no desire to pay lots of money to repeat the experience. So now, beling local I wait to see what the weather is like on the day before deciding if I will be going or not. I suspect this is the case with a lot of the general (non-spotter) public.