The flip side is that private aviation has gotten a lot cheaper, if you’re willing to book a seat on a shared private aircraft. Old companies like NetJets still

The flip side is that private aviation has gotten a lot cheaper, if you’re willing to book a seat on a shared private aircraft. Old companies like NetJets still offer fractional ownership at good rates, but new virtual airlines have popped up that use services like NetJets for their aircraft and personnel, but sell the seats as if they were nothing more than a step up from first class. What I think the OP was talking about is that first class on regular airlines has gotten a lot worse, and the people who can afford to regularly fly first class can also afford to pay not that much more to fly on these new virtual private airlines.