I have to take issue with some of that, Bristolflyer.
I don't think Cardiff management did 'lose Ryanair'. Ryanair, like all other well run operations, moves to make the most of its market. I don't think for a single second that there is anything, short of throwing crazy amounts of subsidy at them, that would have made Ryanair say no to BRS, and yes to CWL.
We do have a hub airport - it's just outside Hounslow. It's not perfect, but has become the nation's hub airport since that is where the majority of the market is. Improve it, yes, add more runways hell yes - but move it? No.
bmibaby certainly did not repel other carriers. There were more than enough destinations left uncovered at CWL even during baby's peak times for someone else to get in there, and the airport certainly encouraged that. When baby was on the wane, they would have been easy to wipe out of Cardiff, had another operator been so inclined. What stopped this, and in the end did for baby at Cardiff was the massive seasonality and relatively small size of the local market.
The same is true of Jet2 - why should they come to Cardiff? They are doing pretty well from what I gather where they are, and to take a punt on Cardiff - which to many outsiders is seen as a graveyard for routes and airlines - is not something that I would advise them to do... and that's what I do for a living!
But you are bang on the money re the vanity projects, and for warning about the cancerous effect that politicians tend to have on the scene....
TA
Last edited by TwinAisle; 9th Nov 2012 at 10:59.