The Parkway has nothing to do with the airport. When it first opened there was a bus link to the airport, but this was soon removed due to lack of use. East Midlands Airport is mainly a holiday airport with low cost and charter flights, so doesn't get the large amounts of business and commuter traffic that make public transport viable. If you're travelling with a family for a week or 2 holiday you're unlikely to go by public transport due to the cost and the trouble, added to the concern about delays and missing the flight. Much easier and in many cases cheaper just to get a taxi, or even to drive and use the long stay parking. The Skylink buses which do provide a good service are not that well used. The Leicester direct one was withdrawn some years ago, the Nottingham direct goes in March, and the Leicester-Loughborough-Airport-Derby bus is only really viable because it gets a lot of none airport use (as will the new Nottingham-Long Eaton-Airport-Loughborough service).
I imagine most of the parkway users are people from the surrounding towns and villages who find it easier to drive there rarther than getting into one of the cities or rail served towns. In terms of parking charges, I suppose it's a balence because they want to try and grow custom rarther than divert it from other stations. Making parking cheaper might attract those who currently use the other stations, but there isn't really a gain for that (and a lot of money is being spent on Nottingham and Loughborough stations, and has been spent on Derby, so pulling passengers away to the Parkway isn't desirable).
hock:
