An alternative perspective is that Northeast was a halfhearted rebranding of the plucky but ultimately unsuccessful BKS, when it was subsumed into the moribund state airline BEA which was itself merged into BA. It was very much a sideshow in a very poor performing more or less state monopoly. Service was reduced until a private sector alternative in the shape of British Midland appeared and what was left of Northeast mostly evaporated. The only positive was that in marked contrast to later takeovers the pilots were dealt with pretty fairly (a youngish viscount captain having seniority to bid left seat 747 was one example I remember).