That point is of course entirely valid. 371 defines travelling time as 1 1/2 hours as the maximum and further states that should this time be exceeded, accomodation should be found nearer to base. Dorset is surely far enough to exceed that and her supporters cannot condone it - or can they? Safety is then an issue.
However, I strongly suspect that BA will correct some of their apparent ineptitude in dealing with the safety issues in due course.
As someone said much earlier, there is more than one way to skin a cat.