What you are seeing now is the "Mini Empire" effect coming to the fore.
I have seen it within TN years ago with ineffectual leaders surrounding themselves with brown nosers, usually malleable management trainees and fortifying their position.
A threat which may expose the fact that they are useful appears and they dump those who didn't suck their way up the chain. The good operators are a threat and didn't come up through the groomed ranks. Guess who goes?
At some stage the competing Empires cease to operate and the Company goes China Syndrome.
The only problem is that if the given Company does self immolate that the DNA of the initial Airline's problems can do the phoenix thing and reappear to infect the replacement.
Management cleanouts generally indicate a Management in damage control mode seeking to rid their vicinity of good operators who put them at risk. Self preservation is a powerful force!
Best all
EWL