HHfly... I think I understand the point of your thread, and I commend your effort. I think that ALL US business has had to do much of what you are commenting on, and since this is FLYERTALK, we are discussing airlines.

Maybe the better comparison is to discuss what DL has or has not cut or improved over other legacy carriers. Not compare DL to SW or Airtran.

I have a choice to fly, and AA and UA are not my choice. Soon I will not be able to chose NW. I can no longer choose Spirit, Brannif, TWA, Song, Ted, Pan Am, Eastern, Skybus, and many others because they could not stay competitive in the world economy. DL is still flying, and would not be if they did not make cuts and enhancements.

Did other airlines make the same cuts listed in the OP? Most did, or did not offer them prior. I agree with your math, and that to offer all the services they did 10 yrs ago, the ticket would be $500.00 or more. What would that get you though... Pan Am's service does not exist today. Neither does Pan Am.