Does anybody know whether British Airways' 15% stake in flybe may have any benefits for customers, or whether this is simply a way of BA being able to maintain some say in the regions before making a quick buck on the stock market? It seems that flybe will be taking over things like lounges, so are flybe considering offering Executive Club benefits to keep ex-BA passengers loyal, or are they hoping they will switch to the Skyteam-weighted flybe frequent flyer offering.
Also, the closure of BA Connect seems to offer interesting times ahead for handling agents in the regions. Can we assume that the "new" flybe will be handled by existing agents, or if there is a planned massive tender? I know BA are particularly keen on Swissport & Servisair, whilst flybe seem to use Swissport or aviance.