Originally Posted by Monsieur Linguist
I don't think I'm being dumb, but I'm having a tough job grasping your argument here.
It is certainly not BA's fault that charges to fly from LHR are so high! Higher fare business travellers would sooner walk than fly the likes of Ryanair or Easyjet and the business model's of these airlines would be turned on their heads if they suddenly operated from LHR. The economical business traveller will happily fly from STN to Hahn/OsloTorp/Bergamo/Beauvais/Malmo/Skvatska etc and take advantage of the lower fares as a result.
If Michael O'Leary wanted access to LHR or more access to LGW and felt that cumbersome old BA were obstructing him, you'd definitely know about it and it would be plastered all over Ryanair's website. As it is, he is disputing airport charges from STN which he thinks are obscenely high, as are Easyjet who seem to be increasing from Luton.
I think we're in agreement on this. The Easy/Ryan strategy was born of opportunism. They spotted an opportunity to target the price sensitive traveler by flying out of and into airports that aren't locked up by the flagged carriers. If either could gain enough of a toe-hold into LHR, I doubt they'd hesitate. In any event, they're pretty much locked into that strategy since they aren't likely to be dealt many long haul routes in the near future.
My understanding is the EU is "consulting" about a future policy on slot rights. Auctions for slot rights or some type of transparent market for slot rights seem to be the thrust of the potential recommendations.