Indeed, the route would be 'thin' and when the next recession comes around (assuming we have another growth period first!) then companies will cut back.
The direct would HAVE to have premium pricing and that price would always be paid by some. How many? Laptops and online access have change the world as much as (I would say) the jet engine itself.
If anyone ever spends enough money to get a (so called) hyper-plane running, then folks will pay because of the once-in-a-lifetime attraction of a near space experience, as people did with Concorde.