klm617 wrote:And Aer Lingus will do the same if the airport can make DTW-DUB happen. But the airport has to get in the game instead of just sitting on the sidelines waiting it out until their turn comes.
At this point your gaze should shift towards whether the broader Detroit metro economy will be in a position to support the financial viability of DTW-DUB expansion given the earliest they would likely start that route would be 2020. Metro Detroit's housing market has slowed and the office market is showing early signs of softness while the automotive sector continues to get pummeled.
All of those factors play into discretionary spending and broader GDP expansion, which are two of the most prominent factors that EI will consider around a possible DTW-DUB launch. As you've rightfully stated, EI will receive virtually no stateside feed so they'll be relying heavily on Michigan point-of-sale traffic in their modeling.
Keeping an eye on how much discretionary income is in the pockets of Michigan residents and hoping that we don't see a broader economic correction will be a far better use of time and resources when compared to yelling at the airport authority to put a Dublin advertisement on a park bench to try and woo Aer Lingus. The financial viability of the route, subsidized or otherwise, is the only thing that matters when it comes to new route considerations.