Originally Posted by jacklee:19675680
So- i've travelled on both international biz and first class (some miles, some paid for by company), but when traveling nyc-hkg on my own dime i have absolutely no issues flying in economy. In reviewing a lot of threads about the classes available, it seems as though the majority of FT'ers would rather give up their first borns before flying in cattle class...So i'm trying to understand what is so bad about economy?
I'm 5'10", and luckily have the ability to fall asleep standing if need be- and while the food may be better, or i'm more comfy laying flat, if i'm paying 1K+ for an econ return ticket, that's already a lot. I'd rather not spend the 6-8k in Biz, or the 15k+ in first..nor could i afford it. Likewise, when using miles i'd rather pay 32.5k each way vs. the 65-70k for bf/first....
Am i really an anomaly here or is FT full of rich elitists?!?!
(no offense to anyone...i'm seriously trying to understand!)
IMHO, the question you pose is somewhat loaded. You can be cheap & FTers can be elitist. And vice versa.
Of course, FTers come in many flavors, some of which are elitist. There's the rich elitist who cannot fathom how anyone would not fly SQ F @ full-fare. I once sat next to a guy who felt it was ok to use his blackberry on taxi and on take-off. I suggested to him if connectivity was that important maybe private jet would make more sense. I got an earful of how he was trying to reduce his carbon footprint. He was a bonafide "rich elitist" (family owns a lot of real estate in Manhattan). I don't think he's an FTer.
I am more likely to believe that, if there is an elitist strain to FTers, it is rooted in "smart elitism." A pride (& sometimes smugness) in knowing the system well enough to get good deals/"beat it." It is less about being "kettles" (apologies for the word) than cattle. There's a sales guy I recently hired who is pretty good at navigating the system. He had a great comment about the "ethics" of that. "It's your system, I didn't design it I'm just navigating it."
Personally, I'm schizophrenic. If I'm on a long night flight, I am a comfort elitist - it is torture to fly Y in those circumstances. If I'm flying back from Europe during the day, exit row Y is fine. Do I like a good meal on a plane? Sure, but would I pay 1000s for it? Heck no, I've eaten well on airplanes but I could never put those meals in the same league as Taillevant or, frankly, many 1* restaurants. For me, smart spend is my elitism.