Snarek - you say:
Where the big bucks of open skies is at stake I doubt the likes of BA or Virgin are going to scare off at the cost of a Mode - S. Besides, like i said, they only operate as low as C anyway, NAS isn't an issue there and any attempt to make it so is dishonest
I disagree - it IS an issue for the heavy metal. In the previous incarnation I gave an example:
That is one of the issues with NAS as I see it - e.g. on desc into say CG from the south thru Class E airspace aircraft are currently positively separated from PJE ACFT and canopies at Ballina. Under NAS that aircraft won't even have to be broadcasting or on a discrete code (.i.e. identified) to the controller descending the 767.