> For all the complaints about the decreasing quality of air-travel, almost everyone I know chooses flights based on cost and time, not service. Almost everyon

> For all the complaints about the decreasing quality of air-travel, almost everyone I know chooses flights based on cost and time, not service. Almost everyone I know does the opposite, but only to a limited degree. I think it's also more nuanced than equating "quality of air travel" with "service". I think it's true that the vast majority of people don't actually care how well they're served. Many do, however, care about physical comfort (as evidenced by willingness to pay for coach-plus type seats) and convenience. Convenience is, arguably, closely linked with time, which you mentioned being something people are paying for. However, time is at odds with cost in at least the sense that airlines are flying jets slower to reduce fuel consumption.