Anne, the problem is if Flybe will react to demand. If a jet can be filled on a domestic or short haul European route out of Manchester, but not Southampton logic will mean that aircraft is transferred. If they didnt and they just allowed seats to go empty, the airline might not be here in 12 months time so your trips to Manchester or Hannover could be a little more tricky.
I know the Q400 is like marmite, you either love it or hate it - however I would only be too pleased to have our local airport be as big as Southampton full of Q400 aircraft opening up new destinations to me and my family. I do not care what type of plane it is because convenience would outweigh that in my eyes. As long as they are not expecting me to fly over to Avignon in a Twin Otter, I wouldnt care less. And yes, I have been on the Q400 several times and its certainly an improvement on the older -300 or other prop driven aircraft in operation.
Whilst I admire the route suggestions on here, if Flybe were in a position to simply test the water at some of those destinations they would have done it by now. The fact is times are tough (although not as bad as made out in the press) and they have to juggle whats left of the fleet, as best they can. Starting a new route requires a huge amount of financial investment in marketing and other bits on top of the operational costs so making money in the current network is whats going to be their priority right now.
Having said that, Flybe have finally cottoned on to the fact that there is demand between BHX and AMS. This shows that they are still keeping an eye on the market and if an opportunity should arise at somewhere like Southampton I am sure they will have a go if they feel fully confident it will be a success.
Southampton plays a crucial role in Flybes network and to date it is still one of the largest bases. It takes an awful lot of passengers who would otherwise use Londons main airports and is something they will want to keep hold of. Just because some routes have been chopped does not mean the investment is not there.
It is ironic though because people are crying out for new routes from Southampton from Flybe, and a bigger presence. But throw in a cancellation due tech and all of a sudden they are the worst thing going. But thats just the way the industry goes I guess