Originally Posted by
3Cforme
You'll find that AA thinks like you do. DL (and NW before it), and United (copying acquired CO) reject that line of thinking. Presumably they, too, have reams of data and business analysts confident of their approach.
AA enjoys the boat load of money they earn off of charging fees. As much as people like to complain about DL fees, paying $60-$180 for each segment on AA to upgrade is no picnic. Doesn't matter how much you fly, you never earn enough stickers on AA to cover the number of stickers you need to use.
This is a key reason I do NOT fly AA (that plus crappy service and all around "flying bus" feeling), so that's the flipside of charging people - you may lose business.