wanna be there -
If you say that you did not deliberately alter the quote concerning Ryanair, then I will accept that. However, the omission of essential punctuation from a sentence does alter the way in which readers interpret what is written. Punctuation guides the reader through subtle nuances in the text; that is why we use it.
I accept your point that no customer rejects an airport simply because a travelator was unavailable. However, I never suggested this. The thought process is far more complicated than that. An older person may recall their previous journey through a particular airport as having been exhausting and stressful. Therefore, they consider alternatives which they believe will present an easier proposition next time. They do not have a ticklist of specific defects on their mind; their travel decisions are based on a summation of past experience - it is the overall impression which counts. An elderly person may not recall the precise reason why transiting XXX left them exhausted ("never again!"), they will simply remember that it did and adjust their future travel plans accordingly. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the airport managers to identify elements of their operation which inhibit ease of passage. And then they must ideally resolve those issues, and certainly not make them worse as part of a misguided economy drive. Remember also that if Mrs X says she finds using NNN Airport too difficult, it will be her entire party which accompanies her on the alternative journey next time.
I must confess to harbouring some doubt regarding your suggestion that MAG would have done careful research amongst its customers before deciding to switch off its escalators and travelators. I rather suspect that they did no such thing, but if they did I would be delighted to eat my words. By all means put forward any such research you are aware of; I'd be fascinated to know how these passengers responded. Even if the majority (and fit, healthy people will be in the majority) can get by easily without these facilities, certain customers cannot for various reasons. That may be due to age, disability, copious quantities of luggage, jetlag, fatigue, young kids in tow, or many other reasons. But I suspect that their response to any MAG researcher would be quite unequivocal. We'd like the escalators to work, please!
All the best. SHED.