I get what your both saying and can see what points you are putting across, but was the 723 seen as a flagship service? It certainly followed the same historic route and made money.

Before the deckers came, was the 10 a flagship? Or was it a service which was pump primed, struggled to keep time, couldn't cope with numbers and has had regular service revisions?

Until GNE spent some time marketing and advertising the X10, it was infrequent and was barely used.

How often do BA/Iberia change or alter their flagship service?

The 21 has had the '24 hour service', the pink angels, the red angels and now the green angels, including a constant replacement of vehicles, including the Presidents, Omnicities, Loynes, Vykings and now the Hybrids.
Customers regularly complain with timings, end points, freqencies etc all being changed on an all to regular basis.
According to www.businessdictionary.com a flagship (or core product) is definded as: 'A company's core product or service which is most recognizable by the public and embodies the expertise, values and product line of the business.'

If the 21 is seen as the brand which embodies the expertise and values of GNE, then no wonder people have the perception of them that they do.
How can a service which has had so many changes be recognisable as a product?
How can the service which struggles to maintain a full or even frequency, embody the expertise of its operator and int turn be viewed as a flagship?

Marketing alone can't make a product or service a flagship overnight, no matter how much bosses hope it will.
Heinz Beans and Kellogs Cornflakes have been around years and are the established embodiment of the manufacturer, no matter how much advertising is spent on promoting fads such as Heinz Lemon and Garlic Mayo with a hint of corriander & tarragon or Kellogs Coco Pops Milky Straw things.

If GNE can leave a 'product' or service alone long enough, for it to establish itself, for it to become even unique, then and only then, can it be percieved as a potential flagship.

To me, the 10, 21 and X9/10 are mobile advertisments, as well as being cash cow products, running between several important towns/cities and are only doing so to appease shareholders as well as having one up with the competion - they aren't at all set up with customers interests at heart.
They aren't flagship services.

When the likes of the 194 or 301 were used on company literature or advertising, it wasn't because of its frequency, funky colours or modern vehicles. They were used because they were established services, serving massive parts of the population and were instantly recognisable. The ideal definition of a core service.