the travelling public will now want to know why their travel is being disrupted and will start asking questions of the airport operators instead of the carriers.
I don't think the British travelling public, by and large, will think about it that deeply - certainly enough of them anyway. The first question they will ask is "so, who else flies that route"? Then they'll book with Ryanair or bmibaby, and that will be the end of it.
EMA is not about airport charges, it's because they think they can make more money elsewhere. The opportunities there that have been lost over the years to other airlines are huge - and nobody in management seems to be answering the question as to why the neglect was allowed to happen.