I think 'shafted' is probably a bit harsh, but it does seem odd that destinations like LPA, which operated for many years are now being discontinued.
Things have changed a lot in the charter market and the tour-operator landscape as a whole. The days of Budget Travel (TUI), Falcon/JWT (First Choice) and Direct Holidays / Panorama (Thomas Cook) are gone. In those days EI flew to LHR, CDG and AMS, FR flew to STN, no holiday hotspots. The likes of Futura, First Choice Airways / Air 2000, eirJet (!), etc used to have at least one aircraft crewed and based out of ORK for the summer season, sadly those days are gone.
EI do operate a weekly service, on a scheduled basis from September to March, if nowhere else will do!
Looking forward to 2015, it looks like passenger numbers will continue to decline but hopefully settle. The improved road connections to DUB have radically changed the airport landscape, for the island as a whole. The return of CSA could be a major psychological boost to the airport and be foundations for attracting new airlines. After all, the return of CSA sees the number of airlines increased by 50%...to three!