In Germany, the biggest airport serves Frankfurt, the country's fifth largest city. It's crazy that there aren't more direct flights, especially when you consider that Cologne and Duesseldorf are the bigger cities. Passengers shouldn't expect much relief in the near future. Geographical, political and environmental constraints on airport construction mean that airlines are already begging for parking spots at the big airports. Economies of scale favor piling up all their planes and staff at one airport.
Indications are that the congestion is going to get far worse before it gets better.
That is not going to happen. Instead, the airline industry is lobbying to expand existing hubs. The process is fabulously time-consuming and expensive. Plans to build a fifth terminal at Heathrow, for example, have been debated for years. Nevertheless, analysts say this approach is easier and more cost-effective than trying to make small airports bigger or to break ground for new ones.