I believe HTC does listen to the customer base that takes the time to post reasonable requests and concerns on these boards. As Raptor said, the Sherman tanks, planes and even WW1. They asked what everyone thought about that arena here and in the game inself via MOTD if I remember correctly.
As far as the complaints about arena cap, HiTech himself has explained why he feels that's needed. What more does the man have to do to make himself clear on that? I'm sure if there was another option that would make everyone happy, HTC would be all over it. I truly believe the crew at HTC are doing the very best possible to see that they gain new customers while keeping the old ones interested as well. There is not one business out there that can make every single customer happy all the time. It's just impossible. But I think as a whole they do a outstanding job. This is why I pay my 15 bucks every month whether I intend to play that tour or not. I guess I'm lucky in the sense that from day 1 for me, my plane of choice has been in the game and I really don't have to ask for a lot to keep me happy.
I for one, am a very satisfied customer. I've seen much change in the game since AH1, and it's been all good IMO. I plan on being a paying subscriber for a very long time.