Well with your point of view that changing management will change the airline than I would say CX/KA would be an 12 month airline as well since they had a change of topmanagement last year..
On 27 June 2006, Hainan Airlines purchased a 45 percent holdings of the airline .....CR Airways Limited officially changed its name to Hong Kong Airlines.....The airline made the biggest aircraft order in its young history on 21 June 2007, by ordering 51 narrow- and wide-body aircraft from European plane maker, Airbus, at an estimated value of US$5.6 billion. The airline's IATA code was changed from N8 to HX on 27 May 2007.
That's where I think the 'sea-change' happened. Nothing to do with Middle Management, 5.6Bn USD is a LOT of money, in anyones language. NASA just put a lander on Mars for half that.
Problem with HKA is basically they replace the top management everytime but somehow these people are less then competent since they keep failing...This has nothing to do with the people on the workfloor since you have cabin crew cleaning toilets etc etc it seems to me the staff is giving their full 120%
The frontline people always save managements ass. Its universal.
I would be really interesting what actions of management would make you say they now have an idea of what they are/should be doing..To me as a complete outsider it looks like they are running around like a chicken without a head...(or a snake,kangaroo or whichever animal you want to put instead of a chicken)
The jury is still out. All I will say is I've worked in companies where Management were interminably at war with their pilots, and this is definitely not the case at HKA.