why do you want to make an airline look valuable when you only want to downsize it to take over its routes, its profits and gain market access to a business market you are not established in? ( SA )
In any case this is the truth, Ib profits until the merger:
After 2008 losses, conveniently forced, either cooking books or just cutting routes or altering them to make them unprofitable.
Lets remember that it was always an objective of BA to be on the side of the 55%, not the 45%, therefore appearing as the stronger counterpart was necessary to have the upper hand in every major management decision.