I'll start by saying that I in no way ever expect to see Primera (or anyone) ever starting transatlantic flights from SOU. The following is purely a way for me to kill time while I'm waiting on a delayed train.
So, you're all right in that the idea of transatlantic from SOU is fantasy for performance reasons and probably also due to its proximity to LHR.
But, what if it was a one-way inbound flight? USERNAME described it as Newark to Southampton, maybe that's all it would be?
Southampton-New York is one of the most iconic cruise routes in the world. Apart from that, Southampton is a major cruise port with numerous weekly departures from lots of different companies. Who's to say there aren't at least 200ish avid cruisers a week in the whole New York metro area who could be sold packages for European or transatlantic cruises including a direct flight from their home city to the departure point?
The flight could operate CDG-EWR, EWR-SOU, arriving on say a Friday morning ahead of the busy cruise turnaround weekend, and then fly a midday sector back to CDG but with tickets sold to recoup some of the positioning cost, (with Flybe only currently flying SOU-CDG in the mornings and evenings they may pick up some leisure traffic), and resume the CDG schedule once it arrives back there.
Pie in the sky I know, I just thought I'd throw another point of view in there. You're all right in saying that SOU-EWR is a complete non-starter.
I should also add I don't know a huge amount about Primera or the appetite for fly-cruise holidays among New Yorkers, so if this idea is worse than terrible then that'll be why.
Tin hat firmly on, awaiting incoming...
