Thanks for the replies, guys. I thought I was going to get flamed - glad I didn't!
OK, maybe I was a little blunt. If the numbers are down, a lot of that is to do with people not updating their computer equipment. That is not HTC's fault. They published the requirements months before AH2 went live. I participated on several forums to arrive at what would be a good spec., and built it about a year ago. But alas, many did nothing. So when AH2 came along and they couldn't get it to work, once again the easy option was chosen: Whining.
As for plane restrictions, it needed to happen. What we have now is probably better than an RPS because even with an RPS, things get silly near the end. As for people quitting because they don't like the new way, there will be plenty others who stick with this game now that it's no longer a horde-roller fragfest.