Originally Posted by
Shed-on-a-Pole
If a British company wishes to do business in Chongqing, Duluth or Hyderabad, do contributors here honestly subscribe to the myth that contracts will never be signed if there isn't a non-stop flight between LHR and these destinations? Have you ever heard of one-stop connections via hubs such as DXB, PEK or ORD? This is routine for business travellers in reality. A couple of hours additional journey time will not kill international commerce.
It's true that even Heathrow, in their Airport Commission submissions to the effect that "Britain does more trade with countries that can be reached by direct flights", concede that it's not at all clear which way round the cause-and-effect link works.