Good point NorthSouth. Admittedly, LCY, as an example, was not under public ownership, but the previous owner was not 'modern' insofar as he used his own money to buy and maintain a major piece of infrastructure (very well too, I should say) for the duration. The new owners jammed (in every sense of the word) through 30% additional passengers during their first year of ownership, restricted aircraft to 70+ passengers, and increased airport fees. They had loans to pay off and a return to make on investment by anonymous shareholders, after all, that being the bottom line. Now they want to build a second runway. Why? To further increase passenger traffic and the 'value' of their investment so that the airport can be flogged at a handsome profit (my prediction). More passengers at bigger airports means bigger airplanes able to offer cheaper fares (on a seat basis). Regional airports without the financial wherewithal to join this merry circus will too often fall by the wayside. The pity of it is, the UK is running out of capacity at the same time. And no-one has mentioned yet that regional airports actually provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to massive hubs. /steps down from his pulpit/