Some great points the last twenty posts. I have some questions which maybe you can answer.
1. eggc refers to national carrier. I wonder what proportion of BA is owned by UK shareholders. To my mind all this stuff about British owned is probably anachronistic. What's probably more important is the base and employment arrangements.
2. I feel the future is going to be one with a lot of weak hubs around the world ie those with LD flights served as spokes from strong hubs. MAN is probably one of them. If that is so, the quality and connectivity of the local distributor (in this case flybe) to a variety of trunk operators (in this case AA, UA, DL, EK, EY, SQ etc) becomes important. Is it possible to create an efficient wave system which works for both p to p and transfer traffic with multiple operators? How do we create through ticketing arrangements which correctly incentivise all parties? Who takes the knock when it's foggy in Aberdeen and the local distribution flight doesn't turn up at MAN? I have read that one or both of the Milan airports have stepped in with guarantees of some kind. Does anyone know how this is working? Is there a middle ground between an alliance ticket and pure self connect with all the risk on the passenger?
3. As another old duffer I feel the crucial moment came in 1987 with the demise of BCal. If at that moment the Government had said to Sir Richard--- OK you can have Manchester and Gatwick long distance, BA is getting Heathrow-- subsequent history may have been different.