As a frequent economy long haul pax (UK - Oz 3-4 times pa - is this frequent?)
No, 3-4 times a month is. A good judge on if you are a frequent flyer is when your seat on the plane still has the crumbs from your last trip. You know
both shifts of the cabin crew. The pilot comes out before take off to let you know that you left your tax free shopping on the last flight and he's got it up front for you..
I'd never consider using a low cost airline. These days, BA is often not a lot more expensive than Easyjet (and is frequently cheaper, particularly at short notice),
Hmmm, do you think BA are to thank for that, or EJ?
and I like the comfort of knowing that BA won't cancel a flight and abandon me at some remote location for days on end, as Ryanair might.
Now did this happen to a friend of a friend of a friend?
I'm picking the argument because low cost does what it says on the tin, nothing more, nothing less. If you are trying to get to a funeral I wouldn't advise it, but if it is a simple journey I see little reason to choose BA. Particularly, if you can avoid the hell that is LHR or LGW.