Oh yeah because Belfast has such a vast population to support lots of new routes to the US. Also if you're going to back statements about support from tourism boards to airlines I suggest you do so carefully, just remember what Ryanair is doing to people who make such accusations. And maybe provided your evidence of such subsidies besides airport ones?
Also SecondDog cutting the Travel Tax is not an induced subsidy, if you think it is take it up with the Dutch Government also who did the same as the Irish Gov. They simply responded to the fact tourism suffered because of the tax.
Look, Of course BFS doesn't have a huge market for lots of Transatlantic routes but if you try to encourage people from the Ulster region (which is a perfectly acceptable target market) there should be enough people to sustain a year round YYZ a second year round US destination and a full summer season of SFB/MCO flights (it wasn't so long ago that circa 0600 on a Saturday morning saw 3 transatlantic flights fill the arrivals hall week in week out) so the people should be there if someone would only bite the bullet and invest some money.
Regarding whatever threat you think you are making to me regarding my views on money going from tourist boards to airlines, read my reply to EI330 below, Of course the airline doesn't get the money from the tourist board but it all amounts to the same thing if someone pays to advertise around a service that you are providing (you say tom-ay-toe, I say Tom-ah-toe) I'm not afraid of voicing my opinion. There is nothing in there that can be taken as libelous that I can see so chill your beans.
Cutting Travel tax IS an incentive, of course it is (erm yes sir well we'll charge you 3 Euro per head while up the road will be 15 Euro per head - where would you like to come) What part of my post made you think that I was implying there was anything wrong with providing such a subsidy? Well done the Dutch too. My whole point on this 'Belfast Airport' thread was an assessment of how 'Belfast Airport' finds itself lagging behind its main competitor. AGAIN, i ask, what part of my posts lead you folk to categorize me as a Dublin hating Northerner???