A couple of additional points from me.
Firstly regarding connections. I know perfectly intelligent, professional people who don't even like connecting for rail journeys...such people aren't going to want to take connecting flights. We can sneer at them all we like, but it's education, promotion and incentivisation that are are going to get them to take connecting flights from BHX.
In terms of where the responsibility lies for promoting the network, I would say
clearly with the airport. For example, for years, EI has offered excellent connections through DUB to North America from BHX -
they've not promoted them heavily - so why doesn't BHX scream from the rooftops about them? The airlines have to balance their interests at BHX with those elsewhere... but as a single airport company, BIA can concentrate on bigging itself up.
There was a campaign along the right tracks some years ago -
'Come here, go anywhere' but I don't think it was ever sustained - although to my knowledge the marketing team at the time knew which direction they wanted to go in - they wanted to be far more aggressive in clawing back pax using LHR than they were allowed to be.
As for the sporadic efforts over the past couple of years...
