... that's exactly the point I made on the easyJet company forum, 319.
This situation is largely the result of the untimely, naive and ill-considered intervention of the seriously mediocre "entrepreneur" Stelios, the net result being that Harrison now has the job of growing the Company with one hand tied behind his back.
Undoubtedly the opportunities are in the European market, yet we now have the paradox of having to rob aircraft from the domestic market in order to maximize the ROI - a sensible strategy given the recently imposed constraints on fleet growth, but I agree that we quite possibly missing out, whilst allowing others to consolidate their own positions and as we've seen before, fill the space we've just vacated.
The problem easyJet now have is self-inflicted - they just won't have enough aircraft. If only they spent more time playing hardball with their competitors rather than their own staff.