The OP is absolutely right, if you want a pre-departure drink, AA may not be the best choice. But I really can't imagine, and certainly have not experienced, that there's much difference in terms of domestic service among the major U.S. airlines. So some of us have chosen AA based on whether its domestic network works for us, others have chosen AA based on its and its partners' international network, and yet others have chosen AA because we think it has the best elite and frequent flyer programs in the industry. It's going to be hard to get us to switch becuase you're too cheap to buy a beer in the AC and have to wait 20 minutes to get a beer after departure. It certainly would be nice if you could get a free beer in the AC and a pre-departure drink, but it's not enough to make me switch. Does that make me an apologist?