Originally Posted by
Raffles
The 'hub' issue is actually the biggest problem at Heathrow. Huge number of people passing through, contributing nothing (you don't even pay APD) and clogging up the system.
Anyone who claims that it 'increases the destinations available' should ponder why Heathrow flies to fewer destinations that Amsterdam or Frankfurt.
It is a central argument in Heathrow's expansion plans, one that the Airports Commission also goes along with. This is one of the relevant paragraphs from the Commission's report (
link):
13.16 These effects would be supported by the strengthening of Heathrow’s hub status that additional capacity would make possible. With expansion, airlines operating from Heathrow could compete more effectively for transfer passengers with other European and international hubs. Attracting transfer passengers should not be seen as an end in itself. But they can be a decisive factor in determining the viability of a route which is economically advantageous to the UK. Without expansion, the number of international transfer passengers at Heathrow is forecast to fall from 20 million a year in 2014 to 8 million or fewer by 2050; with expansion this pattern of decline could be reversed, seeing up to 30 million international transfer passengers by 2050. Expansion in capacity would also enable the airport to operate more efficiently as a hub, as network carriers could use the new slots that become available to move more towards operating arrivals and departures in wave patterns, maximising the number of connections available for passengers.
Of course as you suggest
Raffles there's the seemingly contradictory point that the number of destinations served by Heathrow has actually gone down over recent years, perhaps particularly since the EU-US Open Skies agreement replaced
Bermuda II in 2008 (opening up Heathrow) and lucrative transatlantic routes have seen frequencies increase.
Personally, regarding the Heathrow 3rd runway, I take what I imagine for FlyerTalk is essentially the heretical position of being against it!