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Rich/famous people who don't fly Business/First class

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Old Mar 18, 2019, 8:25 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by zitsky
Flying in coach doesn't make you a better person. It just means that you (probably) don't have a lot of money. Sometimes (most of the time) I fly coach but a few times I'll save up my money or miles and fly business class, especially on an international flight. I'm not a frequent flyer.
No, that's the whole point of this thread. People sometimes fly economy even when they can afford Biz.

While it may not make you a better person, it does suggest that your are thrifty.
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 10:31 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by zitsky
Flying in coach doesn't make you a better person. It just means that you (probably) don't have a lot of money. Sometimes (most of the time) I fly coach but a few times I'll save up my money or miles and fly business class, especially on an international flight. I'm not a frequent flyer.
Perhaps you didn't read my post carefully. I'm talking about people who can afford to fly upper class, but choose not to.
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 10:43 pm
  #18  
 
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While I am neither rich nor famous, I have in recent years generally upgraded myself from economy to premium economy
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 10:59 pm
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Mark Davis and Ron Jeremy both fly WN. One of these may or may not be able to afford a premium cabin.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 4:10 am
  #20  
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Ron Jeremy, the porn guy? He doesn't only fly economy class. I recall something about him being rather into the airline frequent flyer program game at some point -- something that Randy Petersen, founder of FT, probably knows. I wouldn't be surprised if he and some of his current or former associates in the porn industry may have even gotten lifetime elite status from their use of CO/UA flights.

Originally Posted by thebakaronis
I heard that Ingvar Kamprad, the billionaire founder of IKEA, only flies economy class. I have to say that, if this is true, I have a lot of respect for him. Do you know other rich and/or famous people who never or rarely fly upper class even on long-haul flights?
Ingvar Kamprad doesn't fly economy class. He doesn't fly business class. He doesn't fly first class. He's grounded, since he is dead.

Whether or not it's true that he only flew economy class, I don't know. I know that he was reputed to have flown economy class a lot and was said to be frugal in some aspects of his life.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 4:21 am
  #21  
 
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Lots of cultures prize frugality and value for money, whether you are rich or poor. I know lots of ultra wealthy that fly mostly economy. I now some that never will.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 4:29 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by erik123
Lots of cultures prize frugality and value for money, whether you are rich or poor. I know lots of ultra wealthy that fly mostly economy. I now some that never will.
Indeed, and it seems like that may have been the prevalent old culture of working class Sweden. It's definitely not the prevalent culture of the country in more recent decades -- at least when it comes to people who don't play advanced or simple tax avoidance games (like IK did) while perhaps trying to hide behind a veneer of frugality in public so as to not spark jealous reports to the tax authorities.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 4:36 am
  #23  
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Not sure why the rich folks travel in economy. Is it to say … oh look at me.

The only one I see a point to is the JAL airline dude.

I recall an inaugural flight of Qantas, can't remember which one, someone came across Geoff Dixon and said "how about your swap your first class suite with my seat (obviously in economy)" and he said no. I thought that if he had swapped that would of been the best advertising possible once the media got hold of it.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 6:26 am
  #24  
 
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Years ago I sat next to Richard Branson going London to Dulles on Virgin way in the back in economy. Once we landed he was stuffed into the people mover along with the rest of us schlubs.

I remember one of the staff there telling me that he did this every so often to "make sure the experience was great."
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 7:16 am
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by thebakaronis
Perhaps you didn't read my post carefully. I'm talking about people who can afford to fly upper class, but choose not to.
That's me. I have 'cost per hour flying' rule when I am paying from my own pocket.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 7:22 am
  #26  
 
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Famous people I have seen in economy, all of which were 10+ years ago: Kevin Kline CMH - DCA (twice); Jesse Jackson DCA - ?; and Dr. Ruth (yes, Dr. Ruth!) from DCA - BTV (though that might have been a regional jet). She was a hoot. She got up and worked the plane. Walked up and down the aisles asking everyone if they had any questions. And she just happened to have been on the cover of the USAir magazine that month and kept asking people if they wanted her autograph. It didn't even seem obnoxious because she was so cute.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 7:27 am
  #27  
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Originally Posted by int2e
Ron Jeremy both fly WN
That sounds like a seat I definitely don't want to sit in
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 7:51 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by cargueiro
Isabel dos Santos' Instagram shows she flies on Vueling a lot.

Mind you, when BA used to operate to LAD she was regularly in F.
The only place she should be flying to is jail.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 8:02 am
  #29  
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Originally Posted by hotturnip
While it may not make you a better person, it does suggest that your are thrifty.
May also just suggest that the airline doesn't deliver a J/F product that people find valuable. I'm not willing to pay much - maybe $30-40/hr - to ride upfront on a U.S. carrier's narrowbody. Even if my net worth were 10x what it is now, I think I'd still have that same opinion. It's just not a very good product.

Now that I think about it, the $30-40/hr figure is really only Alaska for me. And that's influenced upward by the fact that I can get it at booking time, it books as an F fare for RDM/EQM purposes, and it includes lounge access. I'm not even willing to go this high for other airlines' OLCI upgrades.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 10:12 am
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by flyslow
I don't think he flies much in any class, considering he's been dead for over a year.
Hence legroom and such being not an issue , just room for the urn.
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