One of the most obvious and neccessary things is for the decision makers to be familiar with their product. That means for BA Management acting as a PAX and getting the PAX experience frequently in all classes and destinations. I understand that said management never ever fly in the back. I bumped into Stelio H of Easyjet once on a flight - Talking to him he told me that he flew several times every week to various places - it always gave him early warning of a problem.