No one would mistake me for one of Lar' Baby's obsequious sycophants, but I think you're wildly lionizing Bethune while giving Kellner a bad shake. Change nowadays is more rapid than ever. Both men (well, technically Kellner is a man-sized chipmunk) presided over significantly different eras, even if only a few years apart. Thus, you cannot compare the two. And even removing the personalities from your thesis, your exceptionalism drumbeat falls flat because CO was exceptional in that it merely followed the airline market's decline in benefits; it didn't lead it. And while you might be right about the meals at mealtime going away, the fact they're still here shows CO is still exceptional. Albeit, "exceptional" isn't want it used to be. Give the devil his due. Or, in this case, the Giant Chipmunk.

Lar' Baby, TSMRSRNE and I are rootin' for ya! ^