This is an interesting discussion, especially with the comment that the branding is restricted to premium classes, and economy being a commodity.

In my opinion, some of the legacy US carriers are still holding on to the concept of branding the economy too - witness AA's MRTC experiment, and UA's E+ offering.

There is more than one current thread in the UA forum about E+, and what the reactions of FTers to its value/removal might be.

Edited to add that this view is still US-centric. My other flying experiences have been in India, where inspite of the influx of LCCs, there is still a preservation of branding at the economy level. Whether this will go the way of the US market will be seen in a couple of years I guess.