I used to travel twice a year as a kid and I remember how comfortable and pleasant transcontinental (and even regional) flights were. The flight attendants would give you some hard candies, you'd always get fed and have a selection of drinks to choose from, I'd get some toys and coloring books (because I was a kid). We flew economy for the most part, but I think the positive impression was omnipresent regardless of the class we were in.
Then from 2015 to 2022 I didn't fly at all. Once I started flying again I noticed that the process was just plain shitty. Paying for selecting a seat (I was mind boggled when I saw that for the first time, like I never thought that could've even been an option), no food or drinks at all or you have to pay extra for it, you have to pay if your bag isn't some random size down to the millimeter, constantly pay, pay, pay. It's not just the shitty lowcost airlines that are like that, though I hate them the most (they're not even a low cost), even Lufthansa makes you pay for seat selection now, and they're a flag carrier!
I don't know if it's a regional thing (I lived in the US as a kid and now I live in Europe), if airlines always sucked and I enjoyed them just because I was a kid, post-COVID complications, or the fact that once lowcosters entered the market every airline realized that people were willing to pay for horrific conditions and service and years later the price and quality difference between Ryanair and Delta isn't that big anymore. They're both expensive and low quality.
It deters me from air travel altogether but unfortunately no way to reach the US from Europe otherwise. Booking air tickets now feels so... disgusting? I'm paying hundreds of dollars for a service but I feel like I'm haggling at a market with some cheapskate.