Well, traveling IS much worse without elite status. At least for me, as a small women. I have flown Southwest before. Not only is it the same price (or more expensive) from MSY, then because I am a small woman, I am shoved aside. Because I am small, they let the 400 pound woman sit next to me and they DON'T ask her to buy a second seat because she can sit on me. No amount of once-in-a-blue-moon news stories where they remove Kevin Smith from a plane to get publicity can replace the reality of my experience on Southwest Airlines. They don't treat small women fairly or decently. Or at least they didn't in 2003. I would be afraid to ever try them again.

Flying Northwest, KLM, and now Delta, I am treated with respect. I get upgrades, exit rows, or economy comfort. I frequently get lounge access. I get free drinks and sometimes food. But, most important, because of the upgrades and exit rows, I am not shoved aside as a person of no importance who should be sat on, as I was on Southwest. I may get dirty looks from other passengers who think a small person should not get a good seat if there is a tall person on the plane, but SkyTeam respects the value of my loyalty. If I'm flying every month, and the 400 pound lady flies once in a year (it was probably less than that, judging from my conversation with her), then she should not be entitled to better treatment than I get based solely on the fact that she's larger than me. Survival of the big and strong should not be the rule of thumb on public transport.

Being Elite makes a great deal of difference in how you are treated and whether you are respected if you are from a group of people that is traditionally disrespected and shoved aside, as I am, being a short female.

If you get treated the same on Southwest or these other "junk" airlines as I do with Elite status -- then good for you. My experience was otherwise. Very much otherwise.

As for millions of people without Elite status are just fine, it depends on what your definition of "just" and "fine" is. Millions of people don't fly at all. Millions more fly only when need be and are miserable, terrified, and complaining the entire time. Those long lines of people waiting in the "cattle line" to get screened for Southwest Airlines don't look "just fine" to me.