Obviously as an employee of the bmi group (with the tiny lot) the future of the group is of huge interest to me, and I agree that the way things are going are concerning, in so much as bmi haven't done a great deal to significantly expand into the longhaul market and have stepped down from a lot of shorthaul markets rather than try to put up some sort of fight. Positively, bmi regional has made it's mark in a lot of high yielding routes with the Embraers and bmibaby seems to do well in the markets we're in even if we don't offer the most exciting combination of routes.
Simply, bmi has been rumoured to be sold off to lots of different airlines in my period of working for the group. I've heard we'd become a 100% subsidiary of SAS, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic or been merged with BRAL, and guess what, 10 years later we're still a British independent airline. A merger with easyJet simply wouldn't work, no matter if people wish for their to be an EZY base at Manchester or Birmingham, EZY have perfectly functioning bases just up the road which they operate profitably from their own organic growth - not having to pick up an aging fleet, difficult staff contracts etc. They seem perfectly profitable as they are, without merging with us.
bmi has to react quickly now if they want to stay ahead of the game. The BA Connect / flybe deal is a perfect time to win back passengers to the group by investing in the bmibaby product. Before Open Skies comes into effect, it seems a good idea to expand our European and Middle Eastern network from LHR with a decent product. Whether those in Donington Hall manage to realise or execute this on the other hand remains to be seen.