I can tell you what I like in an arena.  
It's not the planeset.  I could care less if we have 4 or 40 planes to choose from.  The fact of the matter is that I enjoy flying a 109-e4 as much as a P51-D.  Of course, if I expect to encounter P51-Ds, you won't find me in a e4.
I like the thrill of flying in areas that are "aircraft dense."  I don't enjoy furballs and rarely do I "cherry pick" from the periphery of a furball.  Examples of what I enjoy would be a planned defense of a base under attack [hunting goons, destroying resources at the attacking base and occasionally trying to prevent the base from being overrun.]  Or, a planned offensive strike against an enemy base.  Both scenarios result in "airplane dense airspace."
Having said what I like in arenas, let me stress what I like about HTC.  Flying the same airplane again and again can be boring (to me at least.)  I like the opportunity of choice.  HTC and the main arena gives me choice.
Would I be happy in the CT if the MA vanished (or didn't exist)?  Sure, but I would immediately start agitating for a greater variety of airplanes.
My idea of a perfect arena would be one with the following characteristics:
1. An arena that's difficult to reset.
2. A war that starts on Monday and ends on Sunday.  The winner would be either the country that reset the map or the country with maximum damage points.
3. A rolling plane set that includes "new" planes each day of the war.
Will I be happy if my "perfect arena" never happens?  Sure, I'll have a ball in the MA.  If the MA went away, I'll have a ball in the CT.
Would I be happy in an arena which doesn't offer the opportunity of "airplane dense airspace?"  No, I would find other ways to entertain myself.
curly