I reckon, to corrupt an old quotation, that rumours of the death of full service carriers are greatly exagerated
I agree. There will always be a market for the locos and they will be the survivors whenever the economy is poor and the travelling public want to save money. At the other end of the scale you will always have the well off to fill the Business Class sections of the Full Service carriers. But, where the market is beginning to make a turn is with the middle income types. Many changed to the locos and are now beginning to realise that saving the odd quid isn't worth the hassle. It seems that a growing percentage are again prepared to pay the extra for a better, more reliable service and peace of mind.