Originally Posted by
mtkeller
The problem with measuring transit times to Central London is the massive number of people who live in London but not in Central London. A London-based airport provides many different transport options that work for people throughout the greater London area. As soon as you move up to the north and start talking one to two hours (presumably via some sort of high speed rail with limited/no connections in the northern suburbs), then you've got a whole bunch of people who have to allot a bunch of time to get to (say) Euston to catch trains (I only live in SW4, but I'd need at least 30 minutes to get to a London terminal on the northern side). Those trains likely will be running with less frequency (and at higher costs) than the Tube options we have now.
I wasn't thinking of getting rid of the current London airports, but an addition to - so if you know that Heathrow / Gatwick / Stanstead is easier to get to then you would pick that one. But certainly for those transiting (where the airport location doesn't really matter), those for the north or middle of England, and those who do need to come into Zone 1 (tourists, business, etc) it would provide some alternative options. Yes, the train is more expensive than the tube, but I think MAN and BHX charge less in fees than Heathrow, so would it even out?