For whose benefit?

Many FA's make under 20k per annum. They're not regular customers at Hermès. Their non-rev family members probably aren't paragons of fashion, either. They're looking to do their jobs with a minimum of annoyances.

The white collar professional who paid with Amex points? He's on holiday and desires ease & comfort. Many of these chaps are escaping their neck-ties, not cracking out a new one.

The self-important businessman? He's too busy pretending to rule the world on the company dime in a Joseph A Bank suit.

The FT'er waxing poetic on bygone elegance? They're living in the past. If you experienced flying back in the day as slawecki did, such grandiose memories must seem like an imagined past.