Well, majority verdict seems to be thumbs down. Personally, I don't see what else we could have done, and at least it sort of takes on the competition head on. It deserves to work, but then, so did Operation Market Garden!!
The main problems are :
1 The planes. Too small, too many types, too expensive to operate on a pax/seat/mile basis.
2. And worse, our management. A proven track record of total wreckage, failure and incompetence. Whether we talk Fosse, (gone in disgrace), Evans (time server approaching a well heeled retirement), Hutchings (boy wonder who had insufficient experience, even less ability, but a huge ego), Phelan, (ha ha ha haha ha - Hutchings' brother in law, need I say more?) - I mean, there is just no capability to make anything work, as they have all repeatedly proved over the last few years.
Solution - a ballsy order of Emb 190s, a hiring of someone who knows how it all works (Cassani) - and then maybe we employees could look ahead with confidence and raised morale. As it is, well, just wait for it - Crew food will become a bag of sarnies, cabin crew will be forced to clean the cabins, turnround times will be reduced causing increased ADDs and unserviceabilities. And still, we won't have one formula. There will be (wait for it) an OMAN stating the five new cabin announcements depending on what service is being offered....Oh, why oh why, it could all have been so different.
Some comments here about selling us off - the question has to be that if the plan fails, who will want, or need to buy us and the incumbent fleets of inappropriate aeroplanes?
