In my opinion, it doesn't really matter. Since the game has become too popular, her death is really of no significance nor a surprise. So many discussions of this already, and in fact, that very scene is also in some FFVII disc covers...or the back side of it. But that's okay.
Like I said, her death really wasn't important. The search for the one-second ghost Aeris seemed more important to me, in fact.
But I did feel disappointed as I did like her character after all that training and attention on her.