Watching a television documentary about Heathrow Airport, I was struck by how much the mood seems to be changing in terms of the perceived future of flights here in the UK. Are we seeing more people looking to fly from regional airports?
For those people living some distance from the capital city, making use of these airports is often inconvenient and more expensive. Yet the concept of making use of smaller, nationwide airports has really only gathered pace at a fairly late stage.
It's the rise of the budget airlines that appears to have driven the demand for flights from regional airports in recent years. Names like Easyjet, Ryanair and Flybe have become familiar to many people travelling from UK. These low-cost operators offer cheaper deals on flights by providing a basic level of service.
They've also managed to keep costs down by using smaller airports. This can, at times, be somewhat annoying. After all, when you jet in somewhere on holiday, you don't necessarily want to be faced by a long transfer by coach, train or taxi to your final destination. Then again, if it saves you money then it soon looks more worthwhile.
Equally, this potential disadvantage is being seen increasingly as an advantage within the UK. Those of us living near small regional airports no longer have to deal with longer journeys to London. There's less hassle and we don't have to pay so much simply to reach our departure point.
This all helps to explain why regional airports are expanding. It's because they offer cheap flights and convenience. That's led to an increased demand from consumers, which seems set to continue.
