4468,
Boredom, or bedlam - so very true.
The lack of fixed-links (or really long links) on S/H does not cost the company any money (since the last change in how credit was calculated), but it gives the company much more flexibility. As mentioned above (somewhere) it almost offers a firebreak to ensure that crews get back on track. Admittedly, BA did reduce the number and length of these breaks, but it was still rather tedious to have to sit about for 2-3 hours waiting for your next link.
Gypsy tours have been a HUGE annoyance for pilots for as long as I was on the airbus fleet. It is no exaggeration for pilots to do 12 sectors with at least 10 different sets of cabin crew. Another huge bug-bear would also be that often the cabin crew were only doing a single sector out and a single sector back - sometimes even with a lay-over day in between.
Oh the joy to be back on L/H and only have to do one out, time off and one back!!!