So, other than market forces, what mechanism do you envisage being used to produce a more "efficient" distribution of slots vs routes ?
Personally I think there are several :-
1. BAA should be told that in the short to medium term that there will be no R3 at Heathrow, no full mixed mode and no more night flights; instead they should concentrate on their "Toast Rack" rebuilding. In order to restore confidence, BAA must be assured the government has absolutely no intention at any time of closing Heathrow.
2. In the short term the use of larger more fuel efficient aircraft must be encouraged to accommodate the expected growth in passenger numbers; this will free up some slots for new destinations.
2. In the medium term the government should encourage the development of competing hub airports, both in the SE and nationally. The reason the Competition Commisssion ordered BAA to sell Gatwick, Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh was to increase competition between the airports and was ruled to be in the public interest.
4. There should be positive discrimination in favour of implementing the Competition Commission ruling in terms of the timing of the construction of new runways. Also there should be a government priority for introducing reciprocal 5th Freedom rights to airports allowing them to operate as virtual hub airports.
5. It is the introduction of genuine competition between competing hubs that will encourage the development of flights to new destinations and cause the Heathrow airlines to consider re-allocating some existing slots.