Speaking as a customer...
I'm supposed to fly LHR->JFK on the 22nd, so have obviously have some trepidation as to the likelihood of getting there.
I actually feel sorry for the BA people who do work, and volunteer to do what they can; I suspect you're not likely to be thanked by the travelling public at the time, but I for one have been heartened to see that actually there IS a fair amount of "wtf?" going on inside the organisation. To me that shows there is, if BA survives, something worth saving here. You'll at least have my thanks, even if no-one else shows it.
I can offer a perspective, and a, perhaps rhetorical question.
I've travelled many different carriers; I've had good service, I've had bad service. Thinking about it in the round, I'd be hard pressed to say BA was /significantly/ any better or any worse than the rest; after all, it's so much down to 'who you get on the day'. But until this IA appeared, I'd had no idea as to the disparity in pay between the carriers.
Now good on you for getting such a great deal. Make hay whilst the sun shines and all, but sadly the sun has now set. Either I can't perceive the 'better' service, or it's not there - either way, the net effect is the same - people are no longer willing (or able) to pay for it.
I've had good service from EasyJet. I always laugh when I see that TV show with people vowing never to use them again because... they'll be back. Because they're cheap. And there's the rub :
I'm flying BA because it actually *was* amongst the cheapest. I've got a tiny number of shares, so that probably swayed my opinion. Will I make the same choice in future? Tough one. Not sure. BA is in trouble - but it's going to get worse not better.
What happens when RyanAtlantic (or whoever) extends no-frills to long-haul? Because if every seat comes with a free punch-in-the-face and pack your own lunch, I expect that won't stop a similar stampede to the one seen in short haul.
And make no mistake, O'Leary will fly with the minimum staff he can legally get away with, pay them market rate and gain a reputation for charging extra for everything.
And customers will love him for it.