Originally Posted by
Aero Mad
How many 'average families' in Carlisle take long weekends in New York? Or to any high yield destination?
I would aver sufficiently few that this argument, if it weren't already flawed in the comparison due to the existence of the West Coast Main Line, would not be very strong.
I think there will be more than you expect. With a catchment of over 100,000, there will be a handful of passengers every day heading to NCL/MAN etc. and connecting onwards. We're not talking enough to justify a direct flight to New York, but there may well be close to enough to justify a Dublin/Amsterdam flight. Let's not forget that Dublin did well under Loganair in the Summer of 2019, and this was without any transfer agreements.
Also, lets not forget that Carlisle is expanding - with 10,000 new homes due to be built in the St Cuthberts Garden village, plus expansion elsewhere, and that 100,000 will be a lot higher in 10 years time.