Southampton Airport bosses are in talks with South West Trains to launch an airport express service from London.

The success of Gatwick and Heathrow expresses has inspired airlines and airport managers alike to dream of mirroring them on the south coast.

They hope the train would highlight the short journey time from London to the airport and attract more customers from the capital.

At the moment demand is not high enough to justify a special Waterloo-to-Southampton Airport Parkway shuttle. But, plans for a train to be named and branded the Southampton Airport Express are being developed.

Ian Taylor, general manager of Southampton Airport's biggest airline Flybe, said: "We have talked to South West Trains about creating a Southampton Airport Express. The station is just that marvellous figure of 39 steps from the airport, so why not make use of it?

"We are finding people are coming from London to Southampton but we need a higher profile to show that it is easy to access the airport from London.

"You have the Heathrow Express and the Gatwick Express so why not a Southampton Express? Ideally we would love it to be the same as those, but initial discussions say it is impossible to have a dedicated run. But if we brand the train it will shift expectations."

A spokeswoman for SWT said talks were still at an early stage: "We are working closely with them and we recognise Southampton is a growing airport. There is a need to market it to our London customers. Journey times are comparable with other airports and we are in discussion about how best to promote it."

Rail bosses are concerned that a branded airport express service which didn't terminate at Southampton Airport Parkway and served destinations further down the line could cause confusion for passengers.

The airport's Sue Batchelor said the service would be a boon to travellers into the airport.

"We really support this initiative," she said. "We already promote the train link and we find that people do use it. It is also valuable for those coming into the airport. A dedicated express would further increase its popularity."