3 weeks ago my maxed out 13" MBA was stolen. I commute each week on commercial airlines. As much as I liked the easy handling Air, I like my new 13"MBP more. I like it even more after putting an SSD in it. But this is my personal opinion based on my needs.
The Air was really nice to use, but the super drive was a pain on the plane. The Air still boots faster than the MBP with SSD, but that's only a few seconds difference. Once going the MBP has a faster processor and potential for more RAM.
Does the MBP feel heavy? Ya compared to the Air, but not compared to my 15" MBP. And I forgot how convenient the lighted keyboard is, especially in bed or on a dark plane.
So the real question for me is, can I handle the extra pound and a half? Of course.
Are you making a mistake by trading for a MBP? I can't say for sure.
What kind of SSD did you have in the MBP that took longer to boot? I know since there is an optical drive it does slow down boots since it has to initialize.