I find the u-turn pathetic. Free F travel for non-executive directors is a cost and tax effective way of remunerating these persons who have a difficult job in today's litigious environment.

Of course non-execs should be moving back to J if there are enough F passengers to fill the cabin. As directors, they would have a duty to maximize the revenues (and earnings) of the company they direct. It shouldn't be an issue. BA, as part of their annual disclosure of compensation paid to directors, should disclose how often directors took advantage of this perk, and the shareholders could consequently determine whether they were getting full value from the individual.

But nooooo, someone had to leak it to the Independent on the heels of a particularly sensitive labor negotiation, and BA cowardly caved on a policy which should never have seen the light of day.

I'd assume the non-execs will be flying F through some other mechanism in the future which doesn't involve postponing the installation of their new draperies and nobody will be the wiser.