The OP is posing the question as if it's binary -- whether or not one can afford it. It's a continuum. I make a good income, fortunately, and travel is my main (sole) significant use of discretionary funds. But, whereas I am happy to spend $3,000 on an international long-haul J ticket, I won't spend $8,000. Maybe someday I will be willing to spring for $8,000 but not $25,000. (I don't see my income ever being high enough to spend $25,000 on an airline ticket!)
I am sure that I am like most travelers here when I want to take a trip -- weighing schedule, airline, availability of economy vs. business vs. first, upgradeability, mileage/status accrual, cost, and other factors, and then make a decision on which flight to buy. Sometimes that results in business class, sometimes not.
Originally Posted by
GetSetJetSet
Disagree completely. $50 is objectively an inoffensive amount to ask for. Trying to bilk someone out of 10k+ for a seat to sit in for 8-10 hours is on its face offensive and even if the cost of a first class ticket was .000000001% of my income, I would not pay it. I might pay more money to fly private, but regardless of my financial status, I would never pay an airline their asking price for F.
In the free market, willing buyers and sellers do not generally "bilk" each other. Different people value different things; to call a price "offensive" is a silly value judgment on your part.