It may be that some folks will think that 'the lcc casrriers have been unmasked' but for most folks these days - the key question is:- How far away is the airport?
I have banged on about this before but an article I was reading about LBA was focussing on it's catchment area of pax within XX minutes drive.
With the bad road and rail connections, an airport that is closer is better than a cheaper flight!