The problem isn't flying, its the exploitation that flying gives people. Powerplayers will just fly to the end and start farming. Non power players will do the same in an attempt to keep up with the Jones' and fail at it, creating a poor player experience. So they take away flying as their fix and force everyone through the chute of zones to delay them from leaving the game.

I don't mind losing flying with each expansion. I prefer a more steady story driven approach than race to max level and server firsts. But I too will be pissed if I have to go on some epic multi-stage solo, group, get in line with the rest of us for a raid boss to get it back but only after you farmed 100 widgets at a 1/10% drop rate on a full moon. Ill buy it again for 5k. Hell even 50k. Nothing else to spend the hundreds of thousands of gold on.