I agree. C'est la vie, because what will encourage AC to maintain a competitive price is... shockingly, competition. Of which we don't have a whole lot in Canada when it comes to airlines.

Personally, I don't believe the general public is as price sensitive with flight tickets as they claim they are (though to be clear, I'm not claiming they're price inelastic either).

As for, is this overpaying or underpaying? idk tbh. All I do know is that it's now codified FAs are being paid for some duties that they were not previously (on paper) paid for.

To entertain a hyperbole, I'm not entirely worried about AC retrofitting planes with 28" pitch (as an example) mostly because AC is still (in my opinion, and I'm sure many others) considered a full service airline. I think they already have a small identity crisis in what they want their brand to be, but 28" pitch pushes their branding to be a LCC/ULCC charging full service carrier prices. I think you gotta pick one: admit you're a LCC/ULCC and present service/prices that represent that. Or, cut the BS, and properly represent your brand like other full service carriers.