I'm currently sat in EDI galleries and will be for several hours as I finished my meetings in Edinburgh early today and so headed straight back to the airport in the hope of getting onto an earlier flight (as well as really having little else to do).

I was grudgingly accepting of the high amount quoted by ticketing to switch to an earlier flight (which was essentially a fully-flex fare purchase) but pretty peeved at the big change fee on top and no room for negotiation. All in, the price was more than what it would have cost me if I had booked online before I left for the airport and so I declined in favour of sitting in the lounge for 3 hours plus. A decision I am now regretting but I cannot do anything about it now.

Now, I totally understand that I wasn't on a flexible fare and there is no obligation to even try to help me but is there call for BA to adopt a slightly more flexible strategy for regional/EU flights where there are hourly departures? I was willing to pay more to BA if there was a free seat on an earlier flight but there wasn't that flexibility in a sensible, affordable way (e.g; <£100 fee, all in rather than full J one-way fare, or stand-by changes for a limited number of pax per flight). There is almost more flexibility to upgrade on long haul flights than there is to switch flights on a domestic/regional. I understand the part about not devaluing those who have paid for flexible fares, but should this be different on a shuttle flight where potentially selling an empty seat on the earlier flight frees up a seat currently taken on a later flight that could possibly then be resold?

I'd be interested in other FT-ers thoughts.