Raven
As someone a wee bit older in years and years at CX...albeit not many (looking at your age), all I can say is that it is not easy to unscramble the egg.
Like you, I used to think that the mess we find ourself in could be easily resolved with a good dose of commonsense and leadership.
Sadly this is not the case. Not even Rod Eddington, who is no intellectual slouch, foresaw the mess he instigated, albeit at the behest of the owners.
My take after well more than 20 years is that more unites us than divides us but the company has become so big and unwieldy with no identifiable source of ultimate decision making that a solution will not be forthcoming UNLESS Sir Adrian himself can close the hangar door and sort it out. Putting NR and PW in the same room will achieve nothing.
Your right about CX being the best of the legacy carriers with a loyal clientele who will ensure its survival in the worst of economic circumstances. The rest is up to Sir Adrian IMHO.
Tin Can
Spot on.