So absolutely no one was disadvantaged by NSF as a Direct Entry Captain?
No one waited longer in the right hand seat because NSF got a command first? DECs will disadvantage F/Os no matter what. The individuals concerned will feel aggrieved for a long time.
Commercial expediency was okay then (i.e. to facilitate expansion) but not now to cut costs?
Either you are a man of principal or you are not, simplistic really.
I can assure you that when he got his first command in easyJet a lot of SFO's felt very disadvantaged.
It is this lack of moral courage that is destroying the industry. Either you stick to your principles, i.e. Direct Entry Captains are unacceptable fullstop, because they disadvantage long(er) serving F/O's or you accept the harsh commercial realities.