Fractional, I agree wholeheartedly with your statement, the only issue is that by the time the Big 3 have to operate as self supporting businesses, will Gulf Air and Oman Air will be History??!! I guess that Saturday's decission by Oman has been secretly what Bahrain has been hoping for, after all of the recent statements in the press by certain high powered board members, and that Bahrain will now be able to push on unhindered (except from internal power stuggles!!!!) to try and make Gulf Air profitable. It is still early days, into the Captaincy of Mr Dose, but he does seem to have been given Carte Blanche to turn things around and that has to be a good thing (doesn't it??)