obviously not enough people or they wouldn't keep lowering their prices.
As the old saying goes: everything has a price (or alternatively: "everything is for sale at the right price").
Many here are willing to pay more (in points or dollars) for long-distance flights in J, but most wouldn't do it at standard rates, only at saver rates.
While Verizon is fully aware of their premium value proposition, there is a point where people will be willing to settle for less for a lower price.
Also, on the one hand competitors can keep on trying to catch up to the network quality, and on the other hand Verizon has already recovered some of their sunk costs of their network (though these things seem to constantly be upgraded).