Have to agree with giddy's comment. Marketing seems to be the issue. In the late 1980s Manchester went on a big marketing campaign both on TV and bill boards, if i can recall the solgan was Manchester Please! And again during the 1990s another major campaign on billboards showing all the long haul carriers that operate out of manchester at that time. For the most part it seems to have paid of as Manchester now is a major european hub. If Birmingham wants to achieve the same success it has to work harder at marketing its self more effectively and be more aggresive, not just hanging on the sidelines!