Among several ludicrous grand hub airports built way away from the city they are meant to serve which have been complete fiascos, the worst has to be Montreal Mirabel.
Huge land area in the middle of nowhere razed in the 1970s. Vast public expenditure. Airlines refused to move. Why ? Because their CUSTOMERS didn't want to go there. Airlines are not stupid, if it was in their interests to go somewhere they will - and if they will just lose money, they won't.
Not one Canadian or USA service moved from the old airport. However Transatlantic flights were forced to, lost all their connections, and rapidly declined.
Meanwhile Toronto built up as the hub airport of Canada, which Montreal used to be. Air Canada kept their HQ in Montreal only for political reasons. Also, all the commercial businesses of Canada, banks etc, slowly but steadily moved their offices from a city losing accessibility to one gaining it. 50 years ago Montreal was the commercial centre of Canada. Now it's Toronto.
Too late, the international airlines were allowed back to the old airport if they wished. The whole lot left overnight and Mirabel was closed. The terminal buildings lie abandoned in the razed forest. But it was too late.
London beware and take note.
Last edited by WHBM; 28th Aug 2012 at 20:42.