A direct service will always beat an indirect service, alot of people just hate the hassle of a transfer when a direct service is available. Therefore the direct will always win.
Beat on what?
*Prove they are.
*Some will always follow their wallets and not convience more will follow convience to an extent.
*Lack of route awareness.
The numbers clearly show KLM, BA et al still have a loyal load of customers who will connect. You must (at least try) and understand that high spending customers whom the airlines need to make these sort of routes work have a loyalty with existing airlines and alliances. Hence it's hugely simplistic and warrantly innacurate that people simply choose a direct routing. Were that the case, BRS-EWR would still be with us.