Originally Posted by
zombietooth
Absolutely correct. A dollar in 2000 is worth $1.81 today, and costs have more than doubled since then, so airfare, in absolute terms, is cheap. I understand the cuts in service and reductions in competent staffing, but happen to believe that many frequent flyers would be willing to pay more for a high quality airline experience. During the Polaris rollout, I had the feeling that paying for J was actually a good value. I no longer feel that way.
Ironically, it is on many of these short hops with "no meal no mo" that these airlines are making the most money. While I don't doubt your "many frequent flyers" phrase, it comes down to "are we losing customers with these cuts," "what is our competition, if any, doing," and "are we filling our planes at fares we want to charge," not "will many frequent flyers pay more."