Originally Posted by
Widgets
Basic Economy is for price-elastic customers who would pick another airline if it were even $5 cheaper.
That's true. However, I'd also say any flyer that is price-elastic to that extreme probably is a naive infrequent traveler.
To another of the OP's points: There is no need for airlines to "punish" customers who book on an OTA. The OTA's themselves do a pretty good job of punishing their customers when they want to make a change in their travel plans.