Trouble is, it's not what you pay for that is upsetting.
airbusthreetwenty et al
I am not complaining about the strict check-in policies etc. All good, as far I'm concerned. It's on the ticket, and you get what you pay for blah blah blah.
What pisses people off is when you abide by all the strictness etc, then your Melbourne - Cairns flight sits on the ground for 45 min while passengers (from another flight that has gone U/S) straggle in, then your flight is suddenly a MEL-Maroochy-sit on the ground there for an hour-CS flight! No free drinks, nothing except for a "we apologise for the 2 hour delay" routine. Now, if I rock up a bit late and try the "I apologise for the delay" with my best smile, they tell me "too bad, your ticket is cancelled, please buy another" as they are perfectly entitled to do. But to not even offer free food/drinks on the 'minor detour' (which must've saved them ****loads) is just unmitigated gall.
A one way street. Or dirt road, but that's another story....