but why should I fly from ALC to MAD to LGW when I can fly direct from ALC to LGW with EZY
I was referring to
wowzz's post about connecting at LGW to Florida. I can't see the point of flying all the way north to LGW if all you have to do is fly to MAD and connect. There again with all the extra surcharges it would probably be cheaper flying to LGW.
Regarding connecting flights I always use EK & TK from BHX where I can. Also CO to EWR if I'm going in the other direction. There are plenty of connections and as Skipness points out one stop is better than 2.