Fair enough Deskjockey, let me put it another way.
I agree that it is not just about the aircraft. It is about the whole company and the way they behave. My point is that that kind of behaviour CAN NOT be changed. I look at BA and see how, despite the privatisation, they still have the big overheads and numerous bodies living in the corporate HQ (known as Waterworld) at EGLL. Tehir staff are still being told to make more savings and the bosses are still raking in bigger bonus'. Sound familiar?
The Ford Motor Company will also have these historical collections of people and practices that prevent it from competing with Kia.
So - how do you get rid of the history? That only happens when the company is either bought by a commercial competitor or goes bankrupt and the remnants are bought by a comemrcial competitor. The chances of any organisation/company/government changing it's spots is almost zero. That is why I say that SAA cannot change and can never compete - because it is subject to the history of the humans inside it and the history of the company.
Even if SAA were nationalised today and threw out tons of the history and cabins full of the staff at HQ - they would still not be competitive. Only a brand new organisation can be so.
In due course, RyanAir will grow to the point where it wlll not be so competitive - No matter what the mgmt of today might chant! An example? Virgin Atlantic Airways was the brash new kid on the block and 20+ years later, they are (almost) part of the establishment. Why? Because they have to protect their investment and, ultimately, the wheel will turn for them too. BA and SAA, however, are much MUCH further down the line. Their collective investment and history makes them heavier and more vulnerable.
And the heavier they are, the more difficult it is to change because the desire to protect what they have of the existing share holders/staff/contractors/suppliers is too great to risk. Which is why, they often land up losing everything. But this is how humans are and you can see it in every area of human existence. Frustrating it may be but it is what we do!.