I travelled in economy back from Dubai with Virgin Atlantic around 6 months ago and I'm sure that after the meal they offered a complimentary Baileys or Cognac.
I guess the drinks company has a special deal with Virgin to raise awareness of their products?
I think it is fair to say that the western public is getting exactly what it deserves. It's whole mantra is to 'get a bargain'. Price is king over everything else, but then they complain that the product isn't good. Competition has driven prices down to a level where it isn't possible for anything other than a basic service to be provided, and then people still moan.
A lot of people bemoan that there isn't the service available today that there was 20-30 years ago, but as soon as they have to buy a ticket they go for the cheapest option again!!
We are stuck with a low level of service because that is all people will pay for.