Originally Posted by
Andriyko
And these airlines lost their reputation in premium classes, not in economy.
I don't think that's quite right. IME Iberia had an absolutely awful reputation in both Y and J - in Y in particular because they had overhead screens long after PTV had become the norm.
The irony is that nowadays IB probably has the best long-haul Y product of any EU airline, but the reputation that IB is sh*t undoubtedly persists among many people.