@ralphs:
Cost more, sure; be less pleasant? Arguable, though when I compared prices over the weekend, IIRC F on DL CHI-DCA/BWI (with a connection) plus Amtrak WAS-RVR was only slightly more expensive than B6 lowest-price coach (but cheaper than EMS; I forget where the middle-priced coach ticket came into play).
Just running the numbers for the same day next week (Tuesday) in an attempt to recreate what I pulled together over the weekend, DL F CHI-WAS is (generally) $273 to BWI and $316 to DCA. This is about what popped on Saturday evening when I checked fares (further delays were down to hand-wringing to put the non-B6 legs together as well as antics on the map). By comparison, the equivalent B6 fares start at $248 (cheapest)/$280 (intermediate) and involve going into IAD (which I abhor due to trouble getting downtown). BWI is $276/309, while DCA is far more expensive than either of the other two ($385/417). Throwing EMS into the picture adds another $65 (so $313 to IAD, $341 BWI, or $450 [!] DCA).
Bottom line? Yeah, I got a cheap fare and the OBS was only a hair less than what I'm used to on an equivalent DL flight in F (basically, no free booze), but aside from getting lucky on a low fare (which I won't begrudge them) it involved a bit more in terms of acrobatics in New York than I'd like and had I not been futzing with this promo I'd have opted for what I feel would have been a perfectly reasonable deal on DL. Depending on the circumstances there's a good chance I could've gotten an included lunch from DL in the process (presuming CHI-MSP-WAS was an option, since MSP-WAS triggers a meal) and I would've had greater schedule flexibility...
...and of course, shifting to a theoretical VX-relevant route, I would have happily paid for VX F CHI-WAS/NYC (presuming it wasn't a refundable fare or somesuch). Presuming similar pricing to an equivalent VX routing, I'd probably have gone for Mint (and the sheer number of empty seats in EMS is nigh-on farcical) but that's basically a Transcon-only product.
Basically, B6 offers a cheap option; from what I can tell, outside of some rather odd cases (the ORD-JFK flight(s) feel like revenue management got a fire under them at the last minute) the value is middling. Arguably there are two B6s: A short-hop airline running an extended NEC shuttle (which seems to be going for the jugular on pricing) and a long-haul airline fighting in premium markets as well. The latter seems impressive, but the fact that the former really doesn't even have 3-2 or 2-2 seating (which would have gotten me to cough up some cash, as might a guarantee of not having three folks in my row) means that when offered the choice between B6's "let's play games with fees!" approach and the VX option of purchasing a beautifully solid premium product in every market I'd choose VX any day of the week. B6 more or less flounders because it's the "worst of all worlds" in certain respects.
(N.B. It's also cheaper just to pay the first-checked-bag fee of $20 than it is to pay for the "upgraded" fare which includes the checked bag if you're connecting.)