A3yy/#8: "themes"
Why no BOAC C-54s? If US had cared to offer UK the option of retaining the 11 C-54 actually delivered before VE Day, as-new $ sums would have been charged. UK had no $. C-47s were offered as is, where is as scrap, so we very happily took many. UK's 1946 Reconstruction Loan, which extinguished net Lend/Lease liabilities, included a hefty C$ element, from which the airframes of Canadian Vickers' pressurised, Merlin (D)C-4M were funded as Argonaut.
Why Lancastrians, not Yorks? BOAC flew both types, York to 1957 (to 1961 sub-contract freight by Skyways).
Why not enough Connies?. It took from April,1944 to February,1946 for UK and US to agree on Civil Air Transport (the Bermuda Convention, Freedoms of the Air). US tied the assignment of L-049 delivery positions to Nations' co-operation in granting US carriers market access. New Aerlinte hoped to sell tickets London-(Shannon)-NY, and new (to be) SAS hoped to sell Scandinavia-(London-Prestwick)-NY as Fifth Freedom/Open Skies, so the States of those 2 very small home markets offered co-operation to US, and ordered Connies and Stratocruisers. Bermuda proved not to be at all Open, so UK was able to take those orders over for £. Later dribble-purchases of US types were hard-fought, with BOAC needing to self-$-finance from revenue. UK had no $.
Why was BOAC negative on VC7? Why would it not be? No V-Bomber wing found civil application. H.Wynn, Hist.of RAF Transport Command: Forged in War,HMSO,1996,P96: weight “would prevent (it) providing required payload/range.” “cancelled (as) I could not find a customer. BOAC did not want(/RAF) could not afford it” MoS R.Maudling, Memoirs, Sidgwick,1978, P62.
Wot About the Unions? Well, wot? The causes of BOAC's near-constantly dismal financial performance were not caused (wholly/solely) by Unions' restrictive practices.
The only theme constant through BOAC's existence was the conflict between:
a): its status as parastatal Designated Instrument of Foreign Policy, and:
b): its owner's wish that it employ its owners: “(You can) have an airline run as a competitive, keen commercial concern using the best available equipment, or you can have it as a shop window for aircraft you would not normally purchase.” “To expect a Co. to do something (not) wholly commercial {=feed the natives}, then, when it has lost money doing it, to expect to pay interest on that money is bloody crazy.” 9/62 Chairman Sir M.Slattery of £14Mn.loss: his irate Minister suggested he speak to the Specifier. H.Penrose, Wings Across the World, Cassell,1980, Pp.195,223