For me FR cabin crew have improved markedly over the last few years, notably when they first started employing east europeans and some of the mediterranean staff. I'm not sure what they'd be like in an emergency but they always seem very pleasant.
I think FR get away with the online check-in fee because sometimes it's waived in a sale campaign. So it's not always compulsory.
The one that really annoys me is the credit card charge per
passenger rather than per booking which is virtual robbery. I've gone and found an appropriate pre-paid card but it's just so blatantly extortionate. Amending bookings is virtually pointless as well. On both these issues EZY is much better. However, punctuality is another matter....
Priority boarding is a bit of a con sometimes too. I was on the same airside bus as the Priority gang at Krakow airport the other week so I don;t know what they'd paid for.