This suggests airlines don't realize they are selling experiences to customers rather than just hauling potatoes around the country, otherwise they would unders

This suggests airlines don't realize they are selling experiences to customers rather than just hauling potatoes around the country, otherwise they would understand that the passenger cares about when the flight leaves and when they must board it. They don't care if an hour is needed to service the plane between flights so than an hour spent boarding doesn't slow the fleet down, they care how long they need to stand in line. So a clear win for the passenger is to be had that may not increase plane turnaround but still adds value to the flight experience. This lack of consideration of the customer experience is why you feel like a potato being hauled around when you fly a plane in anything other than business class. The first airline that figures out that the customer experience is part of what they are selling and thus should be optimized for is going to make a lot of money even as they manage to charge only a bit more than the average. People will line up to fly them for a more pleasant experience that doesn't require making the seats wider, the plane heavier, or carrying fewer passengers per flight.