Hi Monty,
Thank you very much for clarifying this for me. The change to Gatwick has almost certainly ruled this trip out for me. Whilst I'll accept travelling to Heathrow (110 miles from just north of Birmingham), I'm not prepared to consider Gatwick as a suitable option as it adds a further 40 miles (each way) to my road journey.
Changing departures to an airport that is only convenient and useful to people who live in London and south of the capital does not seem to be a clever way of making your holidays more accessible and attractive to potential customers. Something for JY to reflect on perhaps?
Many thanks again.
Mike