Knee Defenders. My sweetie got me a set before my last trip, and I’m not ashamed to say I used them, because I needed to work on my laptop, which is impossible when someone reclines.
2 Likes
First class typically costs far more per square foot than does coach. The people shelling out $10K for a seat are the reason why coach seats on the same flight might be $1000 instead of $1500. Keep in mind, too, that the price of a plane is typically in the neighborhood of $1M/seat.
5 Likes
According to the tax policy institute, $150K yearly isn’t even close to the 99th percentile of income. Google it or you can crunch the 2011 numbers yourself (2011 is the most recent available data from official sources).
But I’m curious, why do you think jwb was talking about taxable income? The 1% typically have less taxable income than me, and the very richest have no personal income at all. Just vast assets, that constantly increase in value in ways that don’t count towards income tax at all.
Income tax exists to penalize the working classes. The non-working folks make the rules, that’s why they call 'em the “ruling” class, eh?
7 Likes
What do you mean “isn’t even close”? Can’t read? Perhaps you are looking at a line other than the one for single filers which is explicitly the one I called out? Looks like I was off by one, I read out the line for P98, but P99 is still only ~200k, which again isn’t enough money to fly private.
Every time I ride the train, I see how hard they work to sell the business class to those who can afford it. And I wonder how it is that we’ve collectively decided that it’s a good idea to put different classes of ticket on the same vehicle? Call me naive, but that’s not an obvious choice to me.
Somehow, I flew a lot more when it was more of a luxury. Now I avoid it whenever possible, no matter how cheap it becomes.
2 Likes
To me, fifty thousand dollars off quite definitely “isn’t even close.”
But of course to some folks that’s chump change. Which is really what this is all about, isn’t it?
3 Likes
Some 1st class airlines have their own TSA “Priority” screening lines…or they share with other airline’s first class.
3 Likes
Yeah – lots of professional people I know would technically qualify as a 1%er by that definition, and maybe in the Midwest, 150K is enough for the luxury life, huge house, etc, but on the coasts, most people making 150K either rent an apartment or live in a sub-1000 sq ft condo.
2 Likes
great quote from the article, and very true. careful though, I had several other commenters jump all over me for mentioning that same fact. 
This is very true though, the wealth gap gets much larger then just coach to first class.
Yep, exactly this.
The fastest growing segment of privately owned jets is chinese business men, specifically for flying from asia to europe or north america. those sort of flights are exactly why they are buying them. these are pretty amazingly engineered jets and very safe and make the trip with ease.
I agree, some people just can’t be bothered to understand the wealth gap, they look at taxable income and think that is the gross income for the individuals. Far from the truth as you point out, and a misrepresentation of the truth that is used by the wealthy to downplay the actual vastness of the wealth gap. The 1% enjoy more tax loopholes then the 99% combined, so while many report a taxable income of several hundred thousand, they are making and worth vastly more. Net Worth is a much better and more eye opening figure to compare.
even if that was your gross income it is still enough to fly private if the jet is corporate or you fly charter, but you really misunderstand what is being represented by the “taxable income” figure, which is not gross income. most these people aren’t at a 200k gross salary job. the 200k is typically what they are pulling from their accumulated wealth that couldn’t be written off or sheltered from taxes from a much vaster accumulated wealth. seriously. taxable income ≠ net worth.
2 Likes
remember that 200k taxable income ≠ 200k gross income or net worth. most people making 200k per year have a much smaller taxable income then 200k so they would not qualify for the bottom of the 1% despite their income levels.
2 Likes
Oh screw these people who won’t stop complaining about others who did better then they did.
1 Like
Agreed. If they can’t afford bread, let them eat cake!
5 Likes
But there’s money in pandering to the super rich, and not so much pandering to those who can barely afford an airline fight.
2 Likes
it’s true the rich make up the bulk of the pandering market 
2 Likes
Not all people who are the same height have similar body styles. Perhaps you have a somewhat elongated torso and somewhat shorter legs relative to others of a similar height. I’m 6’ but have long limbs and putting my feet under the chair doesn’t necessarily work as well for me as it does for you.
Perhaps there is no solution that works for everyone. But I’ll just put in another plug for my idea of sedating all airline travelers, rolling them in blankets, and stacking them. (There is a small surcharge for a spill-proof lining for the blanket.)
4 Likes
Well, Maggie, you might think of it this way: If we all reclined our seats I would be able to get off the plane in Old Blighty without assistance (although I’ll be in considerable pain regardless, since I can’t afford first class).
This works: \\\\\\\
And this works: ||||||||||||||
This doesn’t work: ||\\|\\|||\\
13 Likes
Get a life. Some people like to make money and they spend that money on comfortable airline travel. Jealousy isn’t very becoming.
2 Likes
On the coasts, there are more jobs paying 150K than there are on the midwest.I suppose it’s more a matter of “where can you obtain a job that lets you live comfortably.”
Yeah, it’s a good thing there’s no inequality of opportunity, eh? Or you might have to feel like you aren’t better than other people, and end up a giant cockaroach!
7 Likes
what percentage of the 1% are you assuming earned their money? of the percentage that did, can you justify the disparity between what they earned vs the value of the services/contribution to society provided vs what they consume?
material possessions and luxuries don’t materialize from thin air, any luxuries that are consumed must have been produced, and the reason that some can consume vastly more then their share is that they do so on the backs of the many who produce more yet are paid at undervalued rates. this is a fact of economics, whether talking domestically about wealth disparity, or looking a the corporate use of third world country labor and resources. that is precisely why the let them eat cake quote applies. the rich are rich off of the backs of the poor, that is the only way they can be, there is no other possible way.
6 Likes
