I know that this posting is merely anecdotal but I flew Dubai to Newcastle on October 7th and returned October 12th. On both occasions the plane was almost (and quite possibly) full and from what I could gather on arriving in Dubai about half were transferring there to some other exotic clime. From what I can tell the route is proving to be a success.
Why then is it that EZY seems to justify cutting routes like Rome and Berlin for which there must surely be a market? Andy Harrison seems to think that Geordies can only like the Costas and aren't sophisticated for anything else.
Let's hope Emirates wakes other airlines up to the fact that not all Northeasterners wear football shirts all the time and we start getting a more interesting selection of routes.