Originally Posted by
bernardd
As VS have proved, this route is not about connections - there effectively aren't any in LAX for anyone, and none in LHR for VS, so the non-hub status is irrelevant.
Well, it helps that London is one of the largest origin cities for travel, and one of the largest destinations too. Doesn't hurt that Los Angeles (Hollywood) is seen as the cultural capital, as far as movies and television goes, and the U.K. is certainly a large market for its products. Page 21 of the presentation in the posting above this gives figures (for AF travel?).