Wow, I am pretty shocked... never realized the cultures were so different.. I would have thought the West was more laid back, but instead the East are renegades. It is more like school yard bullies in that if you follow the rules, you are not cool..
I as a customer am pretty surprised, what is wrong with being professional and wearing the correct uniform. In all honesty, I find it nice when everyone is in the correct uniform and dressed professionally. Of course, the foreign airlines enforce that a ton more than the US airlines.
What is the big deal if someone enforces a rule? This is just strange... and why the insults on America West? It wasn't a bad airline to fly...