CD3 Dave -it's good to see your positivity. Considering what has been achieved at Southend (and I am one of those Lutoners really) I am amazed how downbeat many are here. When I visited in a Cessna not that many years ago it as pretty moribund with 146s and a 707 lying around and very little commercial traffic. It is now a thriving local airport (sorry I don't really buy the London bit) with turboprop regional jet and main line low cost operators. It may not be making money yet - but it's there but an amazing transformation really compared with say Teeside, Humberside and Norwich which have changed little, and Cardiff and Doncaster/Sheffield which certainly don't make money and pay large inducements to retain fewer operators by and large.