The customers have seemed to be tolerating it since 2019. Trains are commonly sold out, even with the high prices. We have no idea yet what the high prices have done to the revenue side of the equation, but if the sleepers are filling up at those prices, it's probably very good for the bottom line.
Remember, the only other choices are (1) flying in cramped quarters with TSA and no food service, (2)riding the bus, which are even more cramped, and which have few, if any direct runs from the northeast to Florida, so you might have to be changing buses at inconvenient places and inconvenient times, and (3) driving your own car, which is more expensive than most people think and which involves dealing with I-95, one of the most stressful roads in the country. On the other hand, even with substandard flex meals, if you take a sleeper train, you have your own private room where you can sleep horizontally, isolated from other passengers who might be infectious with who-knows-what, and, it's usually pretty quiet, and however much we complain and nitpick here, it's more comfortable and relaxing than any of the alternatives. I suppose if I absolutely didn't have enough money to afford a sleeper, and I needed to get to Florida, I'd ride coach on the train, and just pack my own meals for the 24 hour trip.
There is also the Auto-Train which does serve traditional dining car meals to the sleeper passengers and eliminates the need to rent a car when you get to Florida. But in that case, you have to make your way to Lorton, braving Washington DC area traffic, and you get dropped off at Sanford, requiring a couple hundred mile drive if your destination is in south Florida.
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