but is it too late now to do anything about it and catch next years bookings?
They certainly will have missed some bookings, but the bulk will come early in the new year. They will have to be quick though. EZY are releasing more schedules on December 8th.
I trust that Stobart will have the up to 18 destinations already in mind and will have started the planning process some time ago. If they haven't there is considerable room for making poor choices. Assuming that they can access some jets then Malta, Krakow, Corfu, Cologne and/or Dusseldorf should work. Maybe JOTA can provide an aircraft?