DarkStar:
My answer is: I TOTALLY AGREE WITH IT. The capping of cabins has been happening for YEARS. It is an AGREEMENT between the company and the unions (as is the payment involved) that whenever a certain situation arises, that this is the path to follow. Simple as that. At the end of the day the company agreed to it and they wouldn't have done had they thought that it was un-sustainable either in the days when it was agreed or in years to come.
Don't get on your little soap-box and question our agreements if your departments union/s weren't able to negotiate for you similar terms and conditions etc etc etc that ours have negotiated for us. I'm sick and tired of the other departments in BA demonising the cabin crew just because we have managed to secure a fabulous Indusrial Agreement for ourselves.
SO HONEY, GET OVER IT - BECAUSE IT AIN'T GONNA CHANGE!!!
P.S. The cabin was probably capped because there were only one or two FIRST pax in the cabin - and it was cheaper for the company to give all operational crew a working one down payment than to pay another crew member all allowances for a whole trip.