Bagso
or are we now really just chasing the family of for off to Palma who need to park at the airport , and spend some money on breakfast, magazines, and sweets ?
As an outsider (though by your / Manchester airports definition) almost certainly in the Manchester airport catchment area, I read this thread with interest.
I think in this one line you sum up exactly the job of the airport company which (even with Manchester which skillfully sidestepped government attempts to privatise airports by setting up an arms length "private" offshoot from local goverment) is to maximise it's revenue stream through just about any activity apart from handling aircraft. Hence the enormous shopping malls, rip of charges for parking, trolleys, express security lanes etc etc. this especially since the cheap carriers, headed by Ryanair don't believe it's their job to pay for the services that their aircraft use!
Manchester Airport's management is not there to promote tourism, nor is it there to promote commerce in the Northwest. There are bodies, such as the tourism organisations and chambers of commerce along with politicians that do that. It is there to provide a service to those passengers and cargo that have been attracted by the outside bodies.
It is however there to offer it's wares (the airport and it's facilities) to it's customers (the airlines) so it will primarily be employing sales sales and marketing efforts to these areas - something it does really well in my opinion!
It doesn't matter how often you repeat the same opinions (and the same arguments are recycled day in day out here) since airports are now run as businesses, to make money, rather than as arms of local govenrment this is the way it is. Same as at BHX, NCL, BRS, etc etc.