I can assure you that STN and LTN will not be sitting back and doing nothing, watching new routes roll in. They will be working very hard to achieve that, just as SEN is.
However, I feel I need to make a few points. Firstly, STN and LTN do not necessarily compete with each other, or even SEN. They compete with EVERY airport in Europe. The Wizz decision will not have been between SEN and LTN, we have already had that confirmed, it will have been do we base 4 aircraft in LTN, or France, or Germany, or the Netherlands or wherever. Airlines, especially pan european ones, are not loyal to any particular market, they are loyal to their aircraft assets and expect each one to generate a given return and they can achieve that anywhere.
I know SEN will be working very hard to attract new airlines, and offering all sorts of deals and incentives, and it is a cut throat, difficult and ruthless businesses.
Liken it to making money. If you are a high net worth individual, say worth around £25m, it is, relatively, easier to make another million and increase ones worth to £26m. You still have to work hard, but it will come easier to someone worth £25m already than it will to someone who is worth £1m who will have to work that much harder.
That said, when you make the second million, the 3rd comes a little easier and 4th a little easier still.
The same is true with airports - it's all about critical mass and it takes time and an awful lot of false starts and disappointments to get there - but eventually you do.
SEN, along with other airports of its size, work bloody hard to grow, and remember what I said above, it's not about competiing with LTN or STN, its about competing with every airport in europe that wants those 2 based aircraft etc, and so of course, SEN are going to lose many more battles than they win.
So for SEN, they will have many more false starts, but eventually they will get to 2 million passengers, and when they do, getting to 3 million will be easier and then 4 and 5 will follow etc. Naturally, capacity and physical constraints will play a part but I hope you see my point.
Now, as for my views on here, I am not trying to censor anyone, far from it. It is fair and right to be disappointed when services go elsewhere, but what does get my goat is the constant bashing that goes on of the airport for being 'incompetent' and that is my point. It is not incompetence, it is reality.