Spotter you are quite correct. What some seem to forget is the weight causes the issue, in this case the weight being discussed just happens to be fuel. On the other hand there are many ways a company can save fuel directly, and the initiatives you described are just some of them.
Of course airlines are going to try to save money, and carrying less weight (in the form of fuel) is one way. Nobody can blame an airline for that. However the cost of carrying needs to be kept in appropriate perspective.