Good post Al R, as usual. I especially agree with your suggestion of complacency from the organisers, while still sympathising with the incredibly awkward position they found themselves in as the week went on. And, as I posted earlier, still think pulling the 'on the day' tickets for Saturday was a short-sighted thing to do. I dare say RIAT is an incredibly big project to work on, but it's not that complicated at its basic level - especially stuff like the plan for ticket sales. Perhaps next year they'll ask themselves more 'what ifs' and a degree of humility won't do any harm.
Rafair7643, while the organisers might well be within their rights to refuse a refund, doing so would spell the end of RIAT, so I think they're wise to take a hit this year for the longer term good. You're right that a buyer would be subject to the printed terms and conditions, but seriously pissing off your entire customer base is suicidal. As for your argument that RIAT is a military establishment, correct so far, but by opening the base to the general public (as opposed to Friday's invitees), it becomes a public event. Moreover, while Fairford is on lease to the US, I understand it does not have embassy type status, and remains British soil, hence the RAF Fairford title. And even if that bit is wrong, RIAT Ltd (or whatever they call themselves) is a British company and therefore subject to British trading law, which would include being able to be taken to court.