Being a very regular traveller with Flybe (upwards of 1 return flight a week to various domestic destinations) I have, over the years, put up with dozens and dozens of hours of delays and numerous missed connections. I have accepted this stoically, as a hazard of frequent air travel.
Recently I had cause to take a domestic day return, booked at the very last minute using the "cheapest" fare (the word "cheapest" used in the loosest sense).
On arrival at my destination - Manchester - I found that my business meeting had been postponed and therefore I politely asked the lady at the Flybe desk if she could change my return flight to an earlier departure. I was quoted a fee of £40, being the minimum change fee, which would have allowed me to arrive home 3 hours earlier than the flight on which I held a reservation.
Naturally I declined this offer to waste a further £40 and instead I visited the Flybe lounge where I proceeded to consume as much of their complimentary red wine and eat as many of their delicious biscuits as I could reasonably manage in the time permitted.
Now I know that "rules is rules" etc., but I would suggest that it would have been small compensation, considering how many hours of my life have been wasted waiting for delayed Flybe flights, for them to give me 3 hours back by permitting me to arrive home 3 hours sooner.
They know who their regular travellers are by the hundreds of unusable points on our Flybe accounts, yet it makes not a jot of difference. "rules is rules" and there is no flexibility or modicum of recognition for someone who gives tens of thousand of pounds a year to that airline. How easy it would be to create some genuine goodwill amongst its frequent customers to offset the negative feelings that many have towards them.