A lot of the old perks on airplanes were due to price controls imposed on them pre-privatization. They weren't allowed to compete for customers by lowering pric

A lot of the old perks on airplanes were due to price controls imposed on them pre-privatization. They weren't allowed to compete for customers by lowering prices, so they spent money on unnecessary quality improvements in an attempt to compete for customers. It's the exact inverse of one of the problems with rent control. Under rent control, landlords aren't allowed to raise prices to pay for capital improvements that renters are willing to pay a premium for; with airline ticket price floors, airlines weren't allowed to slash prices, so they added perks that flyers would prefer not to pay for.