Can WS sustain the high cost of establishing this route? We saw the problem it had in the US. Even today, it is very unlikely more than a few customers on its transborder flights originate in the US. The problem would be even greater to establish any local boarding traffic in the UK until it had dumped enough Canadians on the other side who were ready to come home. Remember the low end of the Canadian market is well filled with charter and similar operators flying to dozens of destinations AC does go to, providing plenty of capacity in high season.
You bring up some valid points. I don't think the costs of establishing the route would be the problem, I'd imagine producing yields sufficient to cover the cost of operating a 737-800 vs. other 767 operators is where the problem would lie. Ticket prices are already low on flights over the Atlantic. Zoom charges as little as $199 for its flights. Would there be any difference in local traffic on the UK side vs. that of the local traffic on the US side of, saw, Hawaii? The first 3 flights there were near empty and it took about 4-6 days for the return flights to start filling up. Would the effect in the UK be the same or...?
Could WS maintain this route year round? And since its IFE relies on ExpressView TV, what happens when it is out of range? (What IFE does WS offer to Hawaii?)
Probably not. Capacity could be better deployed elsewhere during the winter. IFE on flights to Hawaii is PPV movies loaded on the aircraft. The LiveTV channels cut out about 30 minutes offshore on flights to Hawaii, I'd imagine it'd be the same on the East Coast.