Much as I would like to see someone bankroll CF International, I can't see it happening. Unfortunately, Yorkshire backed the wrong horse as airports go with LBA but commercial inertia will predominate. However, I don't accept that there would not be a long haul element - for instance Glasgow and Edinburgh are only 50 miles apart and both sustain long haul, though Edinburgh seems to be winning the expansion battle, (and that's for a central belt population of 4.5m (ish) ). Newcastle is also building its long haul slowly - so maybe there is a market.
Certainly as a York dweller I would do as much as I could to avoid the trip to LHR - I know LBA has a shuttle - but as it would be a holiday of a lifetime I'm not sure I would risk the BA shuttle which is one of the first to drop off the programme if there are any snags.