on the 08:30 NCL-SOU today, loads looked healthy, pushing 75% or more I'd have said at a rough glance, 19:20 SOU-NCL, probably about 30 pax so not so good, although it has just gone 4 daily recently so might be slow to pick up
I ended up talking to the gentleman next to me and it turned out he was connecting to Nantes, I think he made his connection... We landed 10:25 and the Nantes flight was scheduled for 10:40... But still said "proceed departures" when we landed, fingers crossed for him.
I know it's a thin market but if people are using SOU as a connection to smaller European cities, surely there would be more that would do (as mentioned above) the likes of NQY-MAN-NCL (it used to support a direct flight year round with Air Southwest, a well timed connection might suit some) or NCL-MAN-HAN, NCL-MAN-NOC, NCL-MAN-LUX... Routes that probably couldn't be supported direct from Newcastle.
MAN might be thin on the ground compared to some hubs, but a lot of people drive to Manchester, and getting travel agents on board could work wonders. If Virgin could offer "direct" flights to NYC, LAX, SFO etc. from Newcastle, with a short refreshment break in Manchester...
I know where you're all coming from, I see why airlines aren't fighting over it, but I also see why it could work. It might not be such a hit for O&D but I really think it could be a viable and convenient hub as it goes from strength to strength, and NCL might regret not pursuing it. Better to have a few thousand passengers pass through the airport on their way to MAN, than just to disappear off down the A1