I definitely see your point about dropping the word "Air" for the MBA, and have thought about it myself for not only the MBA, but also the iPad Air. It just doesn't have much meaning anymore.
Apple's naming convention for devices and services have been getting worse and worse over the last 8ish years, imo.
For example, the Apple TV, the Apple TV app, and Apple TV+.
Just talk to a non-techie, and most wouldn't know the difference between them, or didn't know there was a difference. Even with Apple enthusiasts on the MR forums, almost a daily occurrence of posts where someone confuses what "Apple TV" they are referring to.
Also, all the posts with people saying they don't need Apple TV 4K because they already have it installed on their Smart TV OS.
For other devices, I feel like Apple often overuses, and sometimes misuses Air, Pro, Max, and Ultra.
Verbally talking to someone about the AS Macs can be very confusing, with "Macs" and "Max".
I sometimes wonder what the Mac Pro replacement will be called when it is finally released:
Maybe, the new M3 Max Pro Mac Pro Ultra.... Air
Probably not, but not too far off from how silly some of their naming is going.