I think recent events have shown that New York isn't the be all and end all - lets move on.
Actually, New York is worthy of discussion, so don't be so quick to dismiss and move on! - United charged Premium fares, well above AF/KLM and even BA/AA via their perspective hubs. An operator flying direct competitively with similar fares via hubs would be successful, although I agree current alliance partners are not going to "cannibilise" current trade for direct route, which does open door for LCC direct or other operators such as Icelandair with interesting stopovers! - I'm sure the airport management and route development teams will be looking at what solutuions are best for the Airport while opening up the market for the public.
Other opportunities may be Westjet into Canadian hubs to link into their US connections.