TrafficNotSighted,
The NQY/PLH London route was supposed to be combined for just one season, the winter of 1982/1983 if I recall correctly, following the retirement of Brymon's HPR7 and until the arrival of their 4th DHC7 ... Which never arrived.
Brymon, during the Bill Bryce days, had no financial alternative but to continue with combined services or to cancel one route or the other due to lack of finances but once BA moved in, and ASW after BA became a lesson of "How to p1ss the punters off in one easy lesson".
So please don't preach to me that the combined routes didn't fail and it was, to the effect, sabotage by Sutton Holdings that caused them to fail, Sutton/ASW, and BA before them, did sabotage the routes by keeping them combined and without good reason ... except a beancounters reason!