I am genuinely sorry that this has happened & take no pleasure in saying "I told you so". it was painfully obvious to a "non-airline person",such as myself , when BEE opened the Bournemouth routes that there was not enough business to sustain them when Southampton is, what, 30 miles up the road. I said (on PPRUNE) at the time of that announcement that the routes would not last. Not because I wish any ills upon BEE or EGHH, but because it seemed that BEE were indulging in wishful thinking & lurching from one ill researched decision to the next (often contradictory ones). I said, "It will all end in tears"& that parallel routes out of 'HH & 'HI would not work. I was castigated by DEANO & Leg, I think, both BEE insiders, I believe. Both of whom opined that I did not know what I was talking about. They said the same about Bean, also.
I am not blowing my own trumpet now; rather - I am just trying to show that it should have been obvious to BEE that Bournemouth would not work for them. If an ignorant non-airline man can point out to them, before they start, that these routes will not work, why cannot a professional airline have worked that out for themselves ?
I am very sorry if employees lose out because of this & hope that any affected will retain employment. But, BEE's record of "decision making" does not fill me with confidence, or indicate that they really understand what they are doing in their attempt to get the airline back unto an even keel.
Opening new bases & routes, & then closing them with indecent haste does not appear to be the correct solution to their problems; & does not endear them to the traveling public, who are let down by these mercurial decision changes.
Nevertheless, I really do hope that BEE get it right - eventually.