Small claims court is slow and laborious for all parties. Airlines have realized it’s better for their bottom line to just settle immediately out of court once they receive a small claims summons.
Eventually they'll learn how to counter sue and use the full power of their legal team to make an example out of what they regard as "peons with delusions of grandeur".
You laugh, but similar stuff has happened in the context of IP/Patent law. de facto retaliation is real in the legal system
This is why some places require an actual company representative and not just a contracted lawyer to appear for small claims court. Helps even the scales a bit.