Airlines have long realized that there are generally two groups of customers: the occasional flyer that will always choose the cheapest flight, regardless of cu

Airlines have long realized that there are generally two groups of customers: the occasional flyer that will always choose the cheapest flight, regardless of customer service; and the regular flyer that takes service, comfort, reliability, and other things into account. That's why they have frequent flyer programs where the service level goes up as you fly more with the same airlines, from expedited checkin, free food and drinks, free upgrades, and free flights. Customer service costs money - why bother spending it on a customer who doesn't care about the difference?