It's still easy to check in with a human (staffed priority desks) who will tag your bags and print your boarding pass, and the kiosk will easily print boarding passes. UA and AS really annoy me on both of those fronts.

The way to get assistance at the AC has not changed and most agents are still great.

Miles still have value (note to AA: this is the reason I continue to stick around the last 5-10 years)

Free light meal on premium transcons (AA is the last airline to offer a complimentary light meal on any CONUS route in Y, which is advertised nowhere.)