MON made a small profit excluding the write off of the fleet change. Their ATOL bill is very low this year in comparison to last year so thats not the issue either i wouldn't think. MON made a small profit... Jet2 made a larger one.
The main issue surrounding monarch is its future, in particular its what grey bull considers to be an acceptable timeframe for 'results' - hence why they have enlisted KPMG consultants according to the news.
i reckon it looks more likely that grey bull and KPMG will consider moulding the airline into a saleable entity is far more worth their while (and much quicker) than bothering to actually try and make a sustained go of things (profit) for the next 10 years or more.
thats the only reason i mentioned Jet2, its the only airline conceivable to bother with buying the company. Jet2 are already about to launch their own ground handling so why would they not look at a company that will soon operate the same fleet... have an established network (slots in LGW like gold dust) and dedicated boeing engineering.
i can't really see a partnership though...cant understand how it would work at all other than giving each other far too much capacity within each companies shared bases
all of this is total speculation - more food for thought really. I have no ties to the airline and really wish them the best having flown with them a few times. but their ever changing direction is fascinating and makes you wonder more about how these venture capitalists actually make their money