Welcome CO 757.
We certainly appreciate your participation and perspectives here. Please do not confuse my disagreements with some of your points as a lack of appreciation for your contribution, but I do disagree.
Keep this in mind: We are an airline looking to provide you with safe, quick passage from Point A -to- Point B.
Keeping you occupied for that time frame can be a challenge, but that's why we have video and audio entertainment. We also figure you will get hungry and need something to eat; we have always attempted to provide that meal in relaxed, but elegant atmosphere.
Somehow, I feel there's a discrepancy between that statement and the marketing arm of CO. I wouldn't fly CO if the ads read "Safe, quick passage from Point A to Point B". I chose Continental because of the "congress of chefs", because of the "good flights not an issue", because of the "business first award winning service". As Matt/Nutz pointed out, If all I expected was basic transportation, I might choose Southwest, where my hopes would not be raised, and my expectations would be met.
To say "fly us because our award winning service is terriffic" and then when we ask why the service was not good the reply is "what do you expect, we've provided the transportation you requested so don't bug us", that's playing both sides of an issue.
Shareholder should be entitled to have his wine the way he wants it, if the winelist and service is advertized as a reason to fly CO. The meals should be better than "something to eat because we're hungry" if the food is advertized as a reason to fly CO.
I assure you, if you do away with the first/business cabin, make all the seats bigger, tell everyone that all their getting is a hot-dog and soda, and drop your prices to a third of where they are now, you'll have very happy passengers who won't complain about the wine. With a $5000 price for a round trip in business first, the goals of the FA's should be more than keeping the passengers "occupied" for the duration of the flight.