Well, perhaps it makes sense to fly a route not in direct competition with BA. I've been trying to find a way to fly A3 now that I have GOLD status, but I can never find a good fare and time (which means A3 planes aren't empty, at least). It's not worth it to pay £200 when you get a flexible ticket on BA for 20K avios + £30. (Note that this is the same price for MAN-ATH)