You can do cheap properly. Look at WestJet in Canada (also in the States now, I believe): cheap, no frills, and great service with friendly staff. One of thei

You can do cheap properly. Look at WestJet in Canada (also in the States now, I believe): cheap, no frills, and great service with friendly staff. One of their claims to fame is that, when starting out, they lacked the money to pay competitive wages and so had a very generous equity scheme. This resulted, at one point, in over 40% of their staff being millionaires. When you have that kind of stake in the company's reputation and success, the level of give-a-shit rises substantially.