That's cabin crew having smashed BASSA.
I meant flight deck, as in off the main seniority list like their "colleagues" at BA CityFlyer who fly in BA uniform but at a fraction of the cost of mainline. The threat of a second seniority list and a stand alone low cost subsidiary modelled on Iberia Express flying out of LHR was used as negotiation strategy when BALPA was fighting to get the BMI crew onto the main seniority list.
Any attempt by BA to use even cheaper crew to fly out of MAN would be a kick in the balls to the current pilot group. That would not come free I might suggest, it would be rightly seen as an attack on existing terms and conditions and a potential trojan horse to expand into mainline territory at LGW then LHR. So, in my view, before going down that path, there would have to be a major payoff were BA to fight and win that battle at another battering to staff morale and potential strike action.