EasyJet today confirmed it would move to Heathrow if it got a third runway. Says it all really. Gatwick's biggest airline giving the airport a thumbs down. Makes me think that their prior commitment to a long term future at LGW meant absolutely nothing. Good job they didn't sign anything legal....
... actually, I misread the Evening Standard article. It says "move into" and not "to". Still, it's not a good quote if you're a Gatwick runway campaigner, Mr Wingate.
No great surprise there.
In the unlikely event of LHR expansion, many carriers will be moving accross from LGW to LHR, particularly overseas longhaul carriers (the waiting room) and possibly BA (longhaul but not necessarily shorthaul) and VS. BD (regional), BE and others may also move accross to LHR, possibly doing feeder flights on thinner routes.
In the case of U2, it would probably be its more business-orientated routes that would shift to LHR, and possibly domestic trunk routes (to take on BA and VS). Suspect that much of U2, (bucket-and-spade and other leisure routes) would stay at LGW (why have the expense of moving what does not need move).
Look on the bright side: serious LHR expansion also solves LGW's looming capacity crunch.
So if easyJet move to Heathrow, Ryanair may move to Gatwick, and the laws of supply and demand kick in, musical chairs... The impacts if 3rd runway will no doubt create a vacuum and for the airlines looking for lower costs they may be in for a bonanza, except those moving to LHR of course. But of course we will be waiting a long time for r3 and an awful lot could could change before that... In this volatile industry...
Indeed. LGW is unlikely to become a backwater airport with a 3/4 rwy LHR in the same way as ORY didn't when 4 rwy CDG opened in 1974. There are bigger implications for LTN and STN.