A few years ago I worked for a small, frugal city. Each and every year at budget review time the City Manager would ask us to create a budget with a 15% cut, another with a 5% cut and a third with no change. When the final budget was announced with a small 2% decline the employees (me among them) would be dancing in the streets with relief. Had they announced the 2% cut without the charade, we would have collectively protested.
I would not be surprised if BA soon reverses their policy, announces a new surfboard fee, and gives some
PR firm a big bonus for handling the many thousands surfers as we city employees were handled.