No offence Steve but your kinda missing the point. Don't see why Southampton has to be dragged into it as well. If you are interested in comparisons all you have to do is look at the arrivals/departures board to get an indication on which airport is a success.
The problem with Bournemouth is no one wants to fly there and you can not sustain a base with a smatering of outbound tourists. Ryanair have tested the water on numerous occasions and have still pulled out. Easyjet are now free to move in but havn't. Flybe have not cut one route from Southampton even in the recession because there is universial demand inbound and outbound with a majority being business passengers who are present rain or shine. Bournemouth evidently doesn't have this customer base, flybe are proving it with their Manchester route as we speak. However I do agree that Bournemouth has a big advantage in the length of its runway and space available.