Harry W
Time will prove you right or wrong but I personally do not think Lee on Solent is a bad idea at all. Living in both SW London and on Alderney I know that getting to the departure airfield is costly – parking at SOU airport is extortionate (and more so recently – the cost this year being roughly double last year – £82.50 for 15 days in November). The alternative train service is time consuming and fares on South Western are c £40 a person return. And going by rail for me involves a bus to the station, a change of train at Woking or Basingstoke and invariably no seats on the (fast) Waterloo to Weymouth train.
When I do drive to SOU I always go down the A32 Meon Valley route which without turning off towards Bishops Waltham and Eastleigh pretty well ends up at Lee!
So a quiet airport that I can drive to as easily as SOU and park for nothing sounds a pretty good bet. But, of course, each to their own and being able to drive to Lee or take advantage of a free transfer service from Fareham Station (I think that was spoken of) might well work. Whether Shoreham will work I agree is more debatable.
You have to add into the mix the reliability of the service (NB Aurigny with their pool of 4 Do228s have been pretty good these last few months) and the nature of the staff – there being one Aurigny employee at SOU who has a distinct customer unfriendly approach that must make him the best marketing agent for Air Alderney (NB the other two are brilliant by the way).
So in short I will certainly give Air Alderney ex Solent a try and wish them luck.