They do know the problems Zed but tbh there is no way to fix it. Too much housing between the airport and the city means more cars every year. People from the catchment area use Manchester and Liverpool for 2 reasons. Firstly ease of getting there, like you excellent rail links from Scarborough etc but secondly, cost. LBA must be one of the most expensive airports to get flights out from, unless you drop lucky. The otherside of the Pennines usually has more competition on routes and a lower range of price
Gone are the days when local people always used their local airport. Different world, but sadly not all are aware of that fact