I fortunately don’t fly often, but there is little doubt that Flying is largely more and more cattle calls than anything else, especially domestic US flights. International flights still are decent usually as they must compete with International Carriers who do not operate on the cattle car mentality, but domestic flights in the US... every time I fly, regardless of Carrier... is more of a damn I wish I had another option, every time.
My gold standard is the old Piedmont Airlines that went out with the merger into USAir, they exemplified a customer-centric philosophy. They went above and beyond, extremely helpful in every instance that I ever had requiring intervention. Their planes weren’t always the latest and greatest but by golly you got fed well if it was a meal flight, with silverware and hot towel service afterwards, in coach. I was on the very last Piedmont flight, pilot took it low and slow, pointing out landmarks, passed over the NASCAR track at Concord with a race ongoing, then landed at Charlotte. They all thanked us profusely for being their customers, several were crying. Then, Piedmont was no more. USAir was miserable.