Scootie - I never said that BA and BMI are always "reasonably priced options". In fact, I agree that those prices you quoted are expensive and I think that those fares - particularly day trips and those where you don't stay a Saturday night etc. - are a huge part of the problem. My comments were about what I'd like BA (shorthaul) to be (and anyone else who'd like to offer the public an alternative to the LCAs) which is a reasonably priced high quality product for the customer.
There are a lot of areas in which I find the LCAs lacking and it irritates me when their success leads them to think that their product is the only way forward. It would be a very sad day if the only options left to pax for shorthaul were LCAs (I don't even want to think about Longhaul).
The LCAs spotted a gap in the market and went after it with a vengence and with success. They've created a defined product and cornered their share of the market. But being a "no frills" product it only offers so much (little) to the customer, so there must be an alternative market for customers who want more and are prepared to pay for it. This is the market that the "Famous Five" of the BA Future Size and Shape team should be considering (in addition to the Club passenger). There's a lot more to flying than simply the price of the ticket, although that's what the LCAs would have us believe.
The force is with me...at least until Feb!