The astounding thing is that a UK CEO (of anything, leave alone an airport) should confuse California and the UK!!
Firstly: In CA, the distances are great, the population spread out and roads between the centres (not local city traffic) is usually very low. One of the main reasons that the UK regional market has developed so strongly is the traffic congestion getting from, say, Luton to Birmingham. When I was living in a town on the same railway line as BHX, I never found a time when the fares (road or rail + air) justified using BHX and always drove the 15 miles to LTN.
Secondly: The Heathrow situation has driven the regional market to develop in a way that it would not otherwise have done.
Thirdly: The USA does not have Continental Europe on it's doorstep where a one/two hour hop can take you a long way and three/four a very great way! Folks do not want to drive/train to BHX in order to take a one hour hop to Paris - if the market can take them there directly. Numerous other examples will be obvious.
Fourthly: The USA does not have AMS, FRA, CDG, MUC on it's doorstep, nor the M.E. market offering long thin routes to major hubs!
Therefore, this bloke is talking out his nose. But it is all a waste of time as no one has any power to change the UK airport config - since the govt is not going to nationalise it all, or change their stupid APD.
Time for a cup of tea and to forget this waste of paper nonsense. If I was an employee of his, or his manager, I'd be very pi$$ed off at such huge the waste of time and money. It looks as if it was a self-aggrandising event to show himself in a good light. Perhaps he wants a job in the M.E.?