You're right on the negative person aspect, no doubt; a good guy, someone I like and wish I could help out, but someone I find very draining at the same time.
I've travelled on some of the best airlines, up the front, and in other parts of the plane too, (down the back), and on some terrible planes, or other modes of transport as well, and while some could be seen as better than others I see it all as experience and another layer of the trip. I actually don't see a lot of point in paying high prices for travel as it takes away from monies better spent in other ways but there's times I will pay I guess, depends on where and how long the flight is.
I tend to agree with your (and other sister's) ethos on the matter and think it's probably quite smart.