How much of El Al's growth at Luton is growth of the O&D London-Tel Aviv market, and how much is passengers preferring Luton instead of Heathrow ? WHat proportion of LHR-TLV passengers start/end their journeys in London compared to onward connections ?
Yes, I know the usual arguments about Heathrow being a major hub, but this route is unusual in that its primary customer base is centred around NW London not central London and, for geopolitical reasons, El Al is not a member of any of the 3 airline alliances and does not have dozens of codeshare partners.
I'm wondering how worthwhile those Heathrow slots really are to El Al and whether a lease of the LHR slots for a few years to another airline to bring in some more cash might be a possibility while Luton is grown further...