You really should offer your market insights to BA. I'm sure you could give McKinsey a run for their money.

FWIW, Stuttgart is the center of a large metro area of some 5.3 mil people (um, the largest in Germany) that are mainly concentrated south of the city itself (i.e., in the opposite direction to FRA, but closer to STR). It is a major center in a major economic area in one of the world's largest economies. To which we can add that this same southerly area is also the focus of a large state incentivized program to make it a center for major 'silicon' industries. As with many (most?) of the people living / working in this area, FRA is an NFW for me -- ZRH is by far my closest alternative based on other transit links.

Again, FWIW, before I moved to STR, my local airport was SJC: In that case, I got to witness the industry exit when these kinds of "but they could always use SFO" decisions were made in the past. It goes like this, and, since this is, to an extent, a frequent flier forum, I should remind us all that it is important to recognize the idea that business travel is first a perk and later a chore, and that as it moves towards the latter, predictability becomes all. My predictable business habits are your profit center. If you make me change them, you have lost me. I won't be back the unless someone else who became my new predictable ....s up so bad that I have to.

Since we can all be absolutely confident in BA's management (just look at the smooth transition of the credit card programs if you doubt this), we can only assume that they have done their forecasts and know what is best for them. What I can assure you if is that, "oh just use FRA," won't be buttering much bread in the business community around STR. I can only hope that the buckets and spades work out for them as they hope.

r