ETOPS
Thank you for posting that link, it illustrates just how much the lack of a 3 rd runway is holding back BA and the UK in terms of growth and jobs. Branson must be spitting feathers, but if you can't come up with the dosh, then tough luck, in any event bmi could have pushed Virgin over the edge, RB is just wanting some spoils, a few slots for free.
Short haul would be suicide for Virgin, I though the most illuminating fact was the average number of seats per aircraft LHR average 201 BA 199 bmi 119 and bmi struggled to fill even that small number, whilst a full ERJ may have lost less than a 40% full 320 the ERJ is a route killer out of LHR, it's a nice aircraft to fly in on thin or routes that would other wise be a turboprop, but lacks the space that you get with a bus or 737 for locker luggage. It has no role to play in a LHR that is 99% full.