Re: BACitiExpress The final solution!
I see what is being said about no new fleet, but simply painting a new name down the side of the 145s and cutting out catering is going to do virtually nothing to help the BA costbase on these routes.
Just musing on that one, there could be an interesting project if someone felt adventurous. Mesaba (Northwest Airlink) is having its contract with NW for operation of the RJ85s terminated as they are "too expensive". They are, in fact, operated in 69-seat configuration because of Northwest's ALPA scope close instead of the 97 seats that you can get into an RJ85. Anyway, these RJ85s are being phased out. Coincidentally, Mesaba has 28 of them - exactly the same number as BA Connect has Embraer 145s.
One for one swap, anyone?
You'd move rapidly towards a much more efficient fleet and I'm sure that the running costs per seat of an RJ85 must be way below a 145. They would get more seats for all of these extra thousands of passengers to come flocking to BA Connect, and an aircraft capable of producing seats at lower cost than the current 145s. OK, there would be some sizeable transition costs but if you spread those over five years, it could work.