"The planes are getting towards the end of their working life and some are probably not capable of passing C checks."
Let's not be hasty here. The Electra is a workhorse with a proven track record and a commitment from the company until 2015 (as per the last count). These a/c are owned outright so their commercial value to the company is extremely high. Yes, they do need some work but money is always ploughed in to get them back in the air. With the recession as is currently, the company is taking a rather realistic outlook and waiting until things get better before spending more money than they should. However, I firmly expect to be flying the old girls for years to come!