Originally Posted by
Ian W
As soon as the thin ULR routes allow pax to go direct to destination then the number going to interchange hubs like Dubai will reduce to a level that an aircraft with a 400 seat capacity cannot be justified.
This is ignoring that Dubai etc connections have already seen a considerable ending of direct flights that were already well within capability of established types. Europe to Cape Town, for example, had a number of nonstops which have been lost. BA has given up quite a number of African destinations it served nonstop from London because of this. Twice-daily connections from every European to every key African destination, and many other pairs, have seen the end of what used to be a longstanding nonstop market. As US legacy hub carriers will tell you, frequency trumps all.