But why do people fly on horrid airlines? Are they really that stupid?
Depends, for me stupid is flying with Full service airlines with 30" seat pitch or 28" pitch on Iberia Express (some of them use the big old chunky seat that crushed your legs). With a nasty sandwich and cheap tea on board. You could save more than $100 per person using LCC instead of Full service airlines. Also LCC like ryanair have really big and extensive routes which Full service airlines don't have.
And the last time I checked, Ryanair have better service compared to Alitalia, so mind my italian saltiness.