"How much does a 330 cost?"
Depends on the terms and conditions you got from Airbus, doesn't it? And how much SAS committed themselves to paying if they ended the contract early.
Incidentally, bmi/British Midland has managed to run charter operations with a pretty separate identity over the last ten years to my knowledge and the branding problems have not been too great.
[ 20 January 2002: Message edited by: Exile from Groggs ]</p>