Sir Michael Rake is due to join the board of EasyJet in the “early summer”. It is May, the sun is shining over Luton airport, and EasyJet’s fractious ground crew is scanning the skies for the appearance of their deputy chairman.

There is no suggestion of a delay. But you couldn’t really blame the busy chairman of BT and former chairman of KPMG International if he had decided to adopt a holding pattern for now. Even seen from 35,000ft, EasyJet’s does not look like the happiest boardroom in corporate Britain. Sir Colin Chandler is leaving earlier than originally intended (July, rather than in the autumn) and Jeff Carr, finance director, has just announced unexpectedly that he is to move to the same role at FirstGroup.