6 ms·

Also, with full service airlines, business class is by far the most profitable use of their square footage. Cheap economy flights are really an extraordinary th

Also, with full service airlines, business class is by far the most profitable use of their square footage. Cheap economy flights are really an extraordinary thing, but they’re never going to be the height of comfort. Personally, whenever I’m flying economy, I’ve mastered the art of simply shutting down any expectation I have of comfort from the moment I arrive in the airport, until I arrive at my destination.

tinus_hn 7y ago
That’s how we are going to end up with standing only places and paying for the toilet. Do not accept the unacceptable.
- tptacek 7y ago
  I think the subtext is that flights aren't supposed to cost what cheap economy flights cost; they should be substantially more expensive. So you can "unaccept" the discomfort by paying for them what they should cost. Is how I read the previous comment.
- AmericanChopper 7y ago
  I can get a seat on a flight that will take me to the opposite side of the world in less than a day for ~$600. That’s not unacceptable, that’s amazing. Cheap and fast international travel has to be somewhere on the list of most revolutionary post-industrialisation innovations.
- rglullis 7y ago
  Varig was an airline in Brazil that was amazingly nice. Even economy seats got real blankets and actual silverware for dinner. You'd love it, if it were not for the fact that they went bankrupt in the 90s when the first low-cost carrier entered the Brazilian market.
  - tinus_hn 7y ago
    There are plenty of carriers (some might even say all of them) today without standing places where you don’t have to pay for using the toilets and many of them are profitable. You don’t need to accept ridiculous things for that. It’s just that every time, one of them will try to squeeze just a few more cents out of you and if the public allows them to do that, all the others will jump at the opportunity.
    - rglullis 7y ago
      > many of them are profitable Until they aren't, and either they need to find way to cut costs or extract more value per-passenger. > You don’t need to accept ridiculous things for that. Then don't? What's stopping you from not flying with low-cost carriers? I already avoid easyjet/ryanair, even if the tickets from some company like KLM/Aegean costs more than double.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
magduf 7y ago
>Personally, whenever I’m flying economy, I’ve mastered the art of simply shutting down any expectation I have of comfort from the moment I arrive in the airport, until I arrive at my destination. Sounds like you've never flown on an Asian airline. I flew on Singapore Airlines a few months ago and economy there was like first-class on an American airline, but with smaller seats.
- chrisseaton 7y ago
  > I flew on Singapore Airlines a few months ago and economy there was like first-class on an American airline, but with smaller seats. With flat beds and everything? How can they possibly afford that?
  - magduf 7y ago
    Perhaps I should say business class. Anyway, I'm talking about the level of service and comfort: great meals, blankets, pillows, beautiful and friendly flight attendants, hot handtowels, free wine/beer, even some warm socks for wearing to the bathroom, are all standard in economy class. Several of these are probably not even available in First Class on American carriers, such as the handtowel or socks or free alcohol.
    - chrisseaton 7y ago
      > Several of these are probably not even available in First Class on American carriers, such as the handtowel or socks or free alcohol. I think you must have an atypical experience of US business or first. Towels, socks, free alcohol are all basics on US carriers that you always get in business or first. Free alcohol is available even in economy on every US carrier I’ve been on.
      - magduf 7y ago
        >Free alcohol is available even in economy on every US carrier I’ve been on. Citation needed. >>such as the handtowel or socks or free alcohol. >Towels, socks, free alcohol are all basics on US carriers that you always get in business or first. No, I'm not talking about towels, I'm talking about a handtowel. It doesn't exist on US planes, because it's an Asian custom. It's a hot, wet towel that they hand out to everyone before every meal so you can wipe your hands. It's called an oshibori in Japanese: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshibori https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshibori https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/22372/in-asian-restaurants-and-airlines-is-it-correct-etiquette-to-use-the-hot-towel-o https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/22372/in-asian-re...

tinus_hn 7y ago

That’s how we are going to end up with standing only places and paying for the toilet. Do not accept the unacceptable.

tptacek 7y ago
I think the subtext is that flights aren't supposed to cost what cheap economy flights cost; they should be substantially more expensive. So you can "unaccept" the discomfort by paying for them what they should cost. Is how I read the previous comment.
AmericanChopper 7y ago
I can get a seat on a flight that will take me to the opposite side of the world in less than a day for ~$600. That’s not unacceptable, that’s amazing. Cheap and fast international travel has to be somewhere on the list of most revolutionary post-industrialisation innovations.
rglullis 7y ago
Varig was an airline in Brazil that was amazingly nice. Even economy seats got real blankets and actual silverware for dinner. You'd love it, if it were not for the fact that they went bankrupt in the 90s when the first low-cost carrier entered the Brazilian market.
- tinus_hn 7y ago
  There are plenty of carriers (some might even say all of them) today without standing places where you don’t have to pay for using the toilets and many of them are profitable. You don’t need to accept ridiculous things for that. It’s just that every time, one of them will try to squeeze just a few more cents out of you and if the public allows them to do that, all the others will jump at the opportunity.
  - rglullis 7y ago
    > many of them are profitable Until they aren't, and either they need to find way to cut costs or extract more value per-passenger. > You don’t need to accept ridiculous things for that. Then don't? What's stopping you from not flying with low-cost carriers? I already avoid easyjet/ryanair, even if the tickets from some company like KLM/Aegean costs more than double.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

magduf 7y ago

>Personally, whenever I’m flying economy, I’ve mastered the art of simply shutting down any expectation I have of comfort from the moment I arrive in the airport, until I arrive at my destination. Sounds like you've never flown on an Asian airline. I flew on Singapore Airlines a few months ago and economy there was like first-class on an American airline, but with smaller seats.

chrisseaton 7y ago
> I flew on Singapore Airlines a few months ago and economy there was like first-class on an American airline, but with smaller seats. With flat beds and everything? How can they possibly afford that?
- magduf 7y ago
  Perhaps I should say business class. Anyway, I'm talking about the level of service and comfort: great meals, blankets, pillows, beautiful and friendly flight attendants, hot handtowels, free wine/beer, even some warm socks for wearing to the bathroom, are all standard in economy class. Several of these are probably not even available in First Class on American carriers, such as the handtowel or socks or free alcohol.
  - chrisseaton 7y ago
    > Several of these are probably not even available in First Class on American carriers, such as the handtowel or socks or free alcohol. I think you must have an atypical experience of US business or first. Towels, socks, free alcohol are all basics on US carriers that you always get in business or first. Free alcohol is available even in economy on every US carrier I’ve been on.
    - magduf 7y ago
      >Free alcohol is available even in economy on every US carrier I’ve been on. Citation needed. >>such as the handtowel or socks or free alcohol. >Towels, socks, free alcohol are all basics on US carriers that you always get in business or first. No, I'm not talking about towels, I'm talking about a handtowel. It doesn't exist on US planes, because it's an Asian custom. It's a hot, wet towel that they hand out to everyone before every meal so you can wipe your hands. It's called an oshibori in Japanese: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshibori https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshibori https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/22372/in-asian-restaurants-and-airlines-is-it-correct-etiquette-to-use-the-hot-towel-o https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/22372/in-asian-re...