opsjockey – If my memory serves me right, during the summer last year, Excel ( or was it Air Atlanta ? ) made a speculative bid for Astraeus – and it’s a reference to this that you probably heard in the lift.
Psr777 - Astraeus do indeed still operate the Iceland Express routes ( via a 'damp lease' arrangement, where AEU supply B737’s & pilots, and IEX supply cabin crew and passengers ). Coincidentally, AEU also provide the same service for Air Asia ( with 2 x B733's based in Kuala Lumpur ) and are likewise imminently to provide the same too for FlyBe ( 2 x B733's to be based at Birmingham and 1 x B733 at Exeter ).