Excellent post non emmett, we returned from Vancouver last week and drove from LHR with a hire car. Two people plus lots of luggage (80kgs plus). Journey time under 5 hours and cost less than £100. Our neighbour who commutes between her home in London and here took the train to Exeter, taxi to Plymouth then train to Truro and another taxi - 10 hours in total
As we have said before, yes the airport is a valuable part of the community but we cannot continue to pour £3 million a year into it as local taxpayers hence its need to diversify which I believe the powers that be are attempting to do.
The loss of the rail line may be a short term boost for Newquay but an election is looming next year and I suspect the Government will announce a new rail line that may be faster and more direct than we have now alongside further road improvements. This will of course take years to do but long term may weaken the case for Newquay Airport even further.
In an ideal World I would like to see one carefully located airport that would replace Newquay, Exeter, Plymouth and even Bristol with proper ground connections enhancing existing and adding new rail lines and roads in the area.
We have made do and mended for too many years, even if such a mega airport was agreed today this would probably not happen in my lifetime but any long term strategy might stop us spending £3million a year in the short term when the site could be more economically run accepting it will always have limited services and developing and adding other on site businesses.