Way back when, Dan-Air used to fly Gatwick-Newcastle. They also had a flight Newcastle-Kristiansand in Norway, a route that they had flown long, long before the Gatwick service. The two actually connected quite well, whether by accident or design I know not.
Anyway, Kristiansand was not served direct from London and was not that easy to get to. Consequently, Dan-Air's connection was published in the schedules guides and maybe even in the early CRS. I have no doubt whatsoever that many passengers - what...hundreds per year? - used this option. That did not make Newcastle a hub airport, except 'in theory'.