Latest UPDATE (1) on Our position as set out in our previous email remains unaltered

I have just sent this email to the budget airline in question. I will tell you when they reply. 

Dear ****,

Thank you very much for your prompt and polite reply, conveying the policies and procedures of your company. You have always done this in an efficient and helpful manner. I have no complaints at all about your personal handling of this matter.

Thank you also for suggesting that in the absence of any agreement between myself and your company, I may want to contact AviationADR (an alternative dispute resolution enterprise) to see if the distance between your company and myself may be bridged in a way that is mutually acceptable.

I will not be taking you up on this suggestion for a number of reasons, in no particular order of importance:

1. I understand that AviationADR is funded by the aviation industry, including your own company. There is the possibility that commercial pressures and others may make them unable to consider the merits of my case as fully as I would like them to. I don't say that this will happen, but it is a possibility I would like to avoid.
2. I believe that the decisions made by AviationADR are non-binding upon your company, so there is the distinct possiblity that even if they say "Shower this wronged customer in gold!" you may still decide not to cough up. I would rather speak, in fact, with the proverbial Organ Grinder than his simian friend.
3. Possibly most germane, I have heard in the past that settlements have taken several years via this route. As I have been just given a diagnosis of incurable cancer on the recent trip which you eventually enabled, I would not like my payout to stand to chance. I would much prefer to speak adult-to-adult with your own company.

So while I am turning down your suggestion of AviationADR, I do have counter suggestion to make. 

I suggest that you forward this mail to your direct manager, and any further higher ones who may be interested. I also suggest that you contact the department which is responsible for corporate governance, business ethics, and reputational risk and pass on my reasonable concerns. It is quite possible that the latter department may be very small, but I am sure they would still be interested.

The blog post that is keeping people up-to-date with this exchange is now getting quite a lot of followers. I think they are interested. In fairness to your company, I have not yet revealed its name to them.

I await your reply with genuine interest,

Regards, your humble and obedient servant,

Patrick Gillard