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Thomas Frank: First we kill all the diamond-class five-million milers

Thomas Frank: First we kill all the diamond-class five-million milers

Old Jan 6, 2015, 6:28 pm
  #16  
 
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Hilarious read. So true in many circumstances. But, I still will not move my seat so that the lady---with lower status---can watch the movie instead. LOL

Spock Seat @:-)
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Old Jan 8, 2015, 9:16 am
  #17  
 
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Done enough flying to think this is just hilarious
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Old Jan 10, 2015, 5:40 am
  #18  
 
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Yeah, and that's why I took Amtrak until east-west OTP just plain disintegrated this year. I still use it for almost all of my north-south travels (I have yet to take a flight that wasn't either cross-country or, in a few odd cases, up and down the west coast...with the odd exception of an inaugural flight for a now-likely-deceased airline) and that is unlikely to change...the times between VA and FL are pretty good, the frequencies (and times) up to New York are good, especially from DC, and the cost to Montreal can't be beat. Oh, and the effective lack of anything like the TSA BS is a big, big winner.
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Old Jan 11, 2015, 10:02 am
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by EricH
If this is "news" why is the article illustrated with a still from a movie from 35 years ago?
It's not "news" but an essay/column (as are most articles on Salon), and since the essay talks about how the architectural aspirations of decades old airports raise our views/aspirations of flying, it doesn't seem altogether inappropriate to start the article with a picture from the "golden age of flying."

Did you even read the article?
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Old Jan 12, 2015, 11:46 am
  #20  
 
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"I suspect there aren’t that many true Point-One Percenters among the airlines’ elite programs, either—those people are taking private jets. And the prestige the platinum pendant enjoys is actually that of a conscientious consumer, a champion collector of green stamps, a hamster who has really made that ol’ wheel spin. The life of the real elite goes on somewhere else."

Ok, this was a good one.

Originally Posted by mahasamatman
Because they have to justify their own existence and can't make a living doing anything useful?

Those who can, do. Those who can't write about those who can.
An utterly ignorant phrase, and I'm not even a writer.
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Old Jan 12, 2015, 3:57 pm
  #21  
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
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I'm not sure where the spite in this thread is coming from. The point that is being made is that all of us, elite or not, are basically in this together, in a world of declining service and dehumanization at the hands of global corporations who dole out meager amenities by way of cost-cutting spreadsheets. I don't think that's at odds with appreciating the miracle of modern flight, or acknowledging improvements in areas like safety. I think most people on this board would agree that FF and service in general are declining across most airlines these days, and certainly anyone who regularly flew pre-9/11 remembers how different the overall airport experience used to be (remember getting to meet your family at the arrival gate?). Sure, this article isn't blowing anyone's minds with brand new observations, but I think it's a good reminder (for a general audience, not an FT audience) that the EXP flier probably isn't the person the economy flier should be resenting as they're crammed into ever-tighter seats with no complimentary food while flying 3000 miles.
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Old Jan 14, 2015, 9:12 am
  #22  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Originally Posted by EricH
If this is "news" why is the article illustrated with a still from a movie from 35 years ago?
Did anyone else notice the spacious seating in coach?
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Old Jan 20, 2015, 12:44 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by mikekelley
"I suspect there arent that many true Point-One Percenters among the airlines elite programs, eitherthose people are taking private jets. And the prestige the platinum pendant enjoys is actually that of a conscientious consumer, a champion collector of green stamps, a hamster who has really made that ol wheel spin. The life of the real elite goes on somewhere else."

Ok, this was a good one.



An utterly ignorant phrase, and I'm not even a writer.
I prefer Jack Black's quote from School of Rock -

"Those who can't do, teach. And those who can't teach, teach gym."
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Old Jan 20, 2015, 12:59 pm
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by TravelingRabbit

Then again the really poor people riding greyhound are probably looking at all the rich snobs that fly everywhere in their fancy "coach"....
Great point. It's all relative.
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