[bruce511]

I think you're both right. Obviously, given the success of no frills airlines, the vast majority of consumers are absolutely price focused. The shorter the route, the more evident this is.

Equally some small minority (assumed from the relative tinyness of business/first class) are prepared to pay for more.

Both can be true at the same time, and are.

For longer flights, the desire for at least some amenities goes up. I don't expect in-flight entertainment from London to Schipol, but London to Sydney without a screen would be brutal.

Personally I'm in the camp where the worst food in the terminal is still 10 times better than the food on the plane, so I eat before and after, not during. But everyone else seems to love the hour killed discovering what they're being fed. So again, room for different opinions.