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If you try to run a straightforward business, you have to charge more money than competitors that do shady things. And the people who say they want no bullshit buy from your cheaper competitors.

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Yes. Airlines have decades of evidence showing that people will compare comfort, reliability, "shady" practices, etc., and then 99% of the time throw it all out and buy the cheapest ticket. If you wonder why flying sucks so much now (aside from the TSA), it's because airlines literally have no option but to compete on price. Airlines that try to compete another way will inevitably fail.

Airlines literally have no option but to compete on price. Airlines that try to compete another way will inevitably fail.

How do you explain JetBlue? They're not usually the cheapest, but I always choose them over e.g., USAirways or Delta because its a nicer experience.

1. There's some fault with the airlines too in the fact that tickets are cheaper from a third party

2. Many airline web shops are a bad experience with unclear and very high erratic pricing that changes between logins etc

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