This is the exact point that I believe is understated. The gig economy is pure supply-and-demand. Customers are saying that they do not need a professional hotel or taxi service. The historic prestige of these services is predicated on the fact that before the internet there was no better way to connect customers and service providers. If there was a tier below Economy on planes, people would use it. This is because there will always be a portion of the population (maybe even a majority) who strictly only care about the service rendered and the outcome achieved.