Fact is, the UK like most of western Europe and the USA is in a financial mess caused by the greed driven banking sector who threw good money after bad into the bottom end of the US mortgage market not to mention the boys in OPEC who are laughing all the way to the bank.
The airline industry is being crippled by rising fuel costs along with the motorist and haulage industry and anyone who talks about a 'fuel blip' is in a state of dellusion. ALL airlines in the UK, whether we like it or not, are having to consider reducing their costs and that will inevitably lead the bean-counters to consider fleet reductions.