Potopilot wrote: No full crew compliment...No flight..End of story
What's the big deal about being one CC down? It is clear that other centres operate different crewing levels to LHR without compromising safety. I am sure that if you asked the pax if they wanted to delay the flight or do without (say) coffee, you would get a pretty definitive answer! Most people have places to be and a time to be there (even if it is just a holiday) and having paid their money, want the journey to happen. Or perhaps you have lost sight of the fact that you are employed to provide a service to the paying customer.
D.