Originally Posted by
newyorkgeorge
The OP speaks of a time gone by for the entire airline industry. Today its all about putting a butt in every seat for whatever price the airline can get. First class cabins are being more monetized. Despite what many FTers want its never going back to what it was either from a service standard (like in the 60s and 70s) or an elite standard (like it was in the previous decade).
The new reality is that for high dollar spenders not much will change. For everyone else it will feel more and more like a NYC subway ride.
Exactly. The old days are gone, and even when I say "old" I'm referring to even 5 years ago. The airlines are flush with cash, so loyalty means nothing. There are only three major US airlines so competition is minimal, seats are full and more people are flying more than ever.
What the OP discusses will never come back. The new reality is here and here to stay unfortunately. Loyalty today means boarding into coach before others, getting a "coach plus" or whatever each airline calls it (exit or bulk head row for free). Yes you still earn miles but redeeming them like you could in the past is long gone.