BHX has always been squeezed between MAN & LON. Nothing much will change even with the extended runway. Even if Management offered discounts and enticements to carriers this IMHO wouldn't even work
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Sadly, I couldn't agree more. LHR will always remain the holy grail for airlines and if they can't get in or expand there, they will do at LGW instead - as Air China and Korean have just done. If BHX had already finished the runway extension, would they have considered coming to BHX instead? I doubt it. It is going to take a HUGE change in both industry and public perceptions to encourage serious viable long haul ops at BHX and for it to be seen by airlines as an alternative to the golden runways of LHR. Whilst this is not impossible, rightly or wrongly, LON is seen as THE entry point to the WHOLE of the UK by most of the rest of the world. When I used to live abroad, Travel Agents would automatically check LHR first when I was looking for quotes for my annual flight back to the UK. When in Dubai, they often weren't aware of BHX's existence let alone that EK flew there! It is going to take more than a few adverts on the tube to change this.
I do admire what PK and his team are trying to do and they have made some very good points. Yes, BHX now has great facilities, much improved over the years and I have always supported the runway extension. I am not saying that BHX will not see some growth in long haul ops in the future but I worry that BHX is relying on a massive growth in long haul ops for future growth and development seduced by the glamour of making political headlines rather than based on commercial realities.