I was on the verge of getting my coat
when I thought I would try again to score above 'nil' points with North.....
So, the other credible airports mentioned:
Bournemouth - good comparison but I would guess that the economics of the region are much stronger than Teesside. Ceratinly Hampshire/Dorset is a wealthier area.
Blackpool - probably a good comparison actually though if you read the Blackpool news, they remain nervous on Jet2's commitment, without which I think they'd be in a very poor shape.
Humberside - Another good comparison - but hardly setting the world alight.
Southend - Look at the catchment area.
etc...
In my opinion, only Blackpool and Humberside are decent comparables and reading their local news shows just how tough things are and precarious the locals feel about their sustainability.
I'm not saying Peel are great...they're clearly far from it, but the world has changed and its going to take a lot to change our fortunes. Peel bashing won't help as Peel are only a part of the root cause of the decline.
If I was to play Armchair CEO and turn this around...I'd be focussing heavily on non-passenger revenues. The best way for the small and weak to survive in difficult times is to change and adapt - become a specialist player. We're unlikely to survive by perennially asking KLM to add a 4th flight or Thomson to add some bucket and spade routes.....that just prolongs the agony. I see three choices:
1) Invest now in becoming DIFFERENT.
2) Keep plugging away, losing money and hope for better times with the odd gains and losses in routes in the meantime.
3) Give up and sell your investment.
We seem to be on track 2 with the best hope we can become a Humberside or a Blackpool (if we survive that long).
How many points do I get this time?