The premise that everyone in the U.K. wants to fly via Heathrow to use a British carrier to benefit the U.K. economy is flawed. Have you also considered that overseas visitors flying via these European hubs to airports outside of the South East may also boost the British economy. Does inward tourism to the regions not get a boost by direct flights in to those regions.
It is a two way street, and I know it is a hackneyed argument to some, but then I am a care worn Northerner and am past caring about such sensibilities, so I will repeat that not everyone wants to fly from London some of us prefer to use our local airports and if foreign carriers rather than British carriers allow us to do so then thank you to those airlines.
Maybe the reason it has just been published that LHR is 4th and MAN 8th in Etihad's top 10 routes or that MAN has more flights from the MEB3 than some European hubs tells a story that many agree with me.
Last edited by pwalhx; 3rd Jan 2013 at 19:29.