The Little Prince has a good arguement. BA (and its pilots) have got to sort out their own problems by making their own operations profitable.
GB has brought on its own account about 10 routes, aircraft ,capital, personnel and experience to the BA family. It has paid (and continues to pay) hard cash to operate (until 2008) about another 10 routes that used to be operated by BAEOG. Some of these routes are not nearly as profitable as they were expected to be (or used to be) because BA has reduced its long haul, and short haul connections at LGW since GB took on the financial risk of the 10 ex-BA routes. The Brazil long haul was moved to LHR a few years ago. Also, for example, Tunis to LGW (not an ex-BAEOG route) used to carry 30 plus connecting passengers to long haul Houston. Houston now flies from LHR. No consultations from BA, they acted with their own best interests at heart, and GB had to manage the shortfall. Fair enough, its a tough world.
Following the arguements of some earlier posts, that would give GB pilots the 'right' to claim that GB pilots should be allowed to fly some BA aircraft at LHR because some of the passengers used to be 'GB passengers' interlining from GB routes. (These oil industry passengers now fly Tunisair to LHR for connections to Houston). It's a tenuous thread - the arguement doesnt really wash does it?
Sorry BA guys, but you will have to stick to what you've got and fly your own aircraft.
One final point about a franchise. GB cannot operate (in BA or GB or any other colours) on routes without BA permission. That is a neat way of BA stopping GB using its own few valuable slots to cherrypick BA's most profitable route out of LHR, MAN or LGW and flying it in GB colours. I doubt GB would want to do this anyway, because they have a long association of friendly cooperatiion with BA that goes back over 60 years. GB used to charter BEA aircraft and crews to fly some of its flights for them for many years. For future routes at the moment, GB is limited in effect to having scraps from the BA table. It would be better for BA and their pilots to learn how to make a profit out of scraps, thus securing their own future health, rather than trying to muscle in on GB turf. As for SCOPE, I doubt GB pilots would have anything to do with being on the bottom of a seniority list of a shrinking airline (BA).
Once BA becomes more profitable, and is then in a position to easily pay(as opposed to struggling to pay) the interest on its staggering £5.9billion debts, it will be able to expand its routes and aircraft (and pilots). When the franchise comes up for renewal, it will be able to reclaim some of those routes that GB has nurtured in the meantime.
Relax.