For all the kvetching about deterioration of service since the 70s, you sure don't hear much about how accessible air travel has become.
In the 60s and 70s, trips overseas or to Caribbean destinations were regarded as "once in a lifetime" occasions for middle class families. The working class couldn't even really think about it.
These days, partly due to lower prices relative to income (and maybe also to low interest rates/easy credit), air travel is well within the grasp of most people who have jobs (and aren't supporting 6 people on one income or some such). Even working class people who would have had to be content with road or bus trips 40 years ago can now contemplate a package holiday to the Caribbean or Vegas.
So if the seats are a bit tight and the chicken dinner has disappeared, well, at least there is an upside to it for a large segment of the population.