What exactly would be the point to get a franchise from a relatively unknown airline like bmi regional that operates 50 seat aircraft if you are operating ATR72s under the EI brand? Does the EI franchise not allow flights to the continent? And why would BE interested to franchise an airline that operates on a market that is attractive for BE itself? Franchises typically work differently: A larger airline franchises a smaller airline with a different fleet and market, e.g. BA franchises Sun Air.