It always seems to me that there are 2 main aspects to any discussion regarding FR, and that sadly, many folks mix them up.
One main aspect is that the FR aircraft are flown by a skilled group of pilots, and maintained by engineers, who clearly have a high level of ability - they fly so far with so few incidents so they must be doing something/many things right.
The other main aspect is the unspeakable arrogance of the man who heads the airline. He treats his pilots and attendants with distain, won't give many of them a permanent employment status and generally uses every opportunity to denigrate them in the media - "we don't need 2 pilots etc."
Yet despite it all, the FR flight crews are professional enough to ignore all this and do an outstanding job - despite, rather than with the help of, their management.
That's the underlying bed rock in this argument. But then, because it is FR, it gets overlain by 3 other layers:
1. the FR lovers who put up with anything provided it is cheap - an entirely human characteristic for some folks. So on any discussion about FR, whatever it is, they always post "FR is brilliant, the best invention since sliced bread" etc.
2. the opposite gang, the FR haters, who abhor the airline for its complete lack of customer service. They expect more for their money, and are willing to pay slightly more to secure better service. This is the group that chimes in with the "I'd never fly on FR if it was the last airline in the world" argument.
But, as we all know, in life, there will always be choices. If you need a car to get from A to B, some folks will buy a beat up old car and others will buy a new BMW. - Different strokes for different folks.
3. the third group adding to this complex situation are those who are able to convince themselves that any everything that happens on the flight deck is directly down to FR management, and MOL in particular. That the very professionalism that FR pilots display is somehow influenced by the unspeakable MOL.
So they ignore the fact that 4 aircraft captains independently chose to make decisions that, with the benefit of hindsigh MAY be debatable, regarding fuel is not down to each Captains own choice, but is directly because they were ordered or compromised into it by MOL or edicts from management.]
In my mind, it's this third group that have lost the plot. They no longer have the ability to differentiate between being wise after the event and blaming everything on FR and MOL in particular.
Maybe, with the benefit of hindsight, or a bit more foresight, the Captains should have chosen to take more fuel - but it WAS their choice, nobody else's, and certainly not Mr. O'Leary's or his minions.
But wouldn't it be nice if we always had the benefit of hindsight before we made every decision?
A final disclaimer - I don't work for FR and I'd say I fall into tier 2 above - the FR haters - i.e. I hate their service and don't use them, but I admire the professionalism of their flight crews. And Orville was offered a job with them, but turned 'em down and went on to bigger and better things with another airline.