They may arrive at the same destination, but two passengers on the same flight can have strikingly different travel experiences.

One traveler breezes through a priority security lane and heads straight to an invite-only lounge for craft cocktails and a chef-prepared meal before boarding early. A flight attendant offering a glass of champagne and a warm hand towel welcomes the passenger to a spacious seat at the front of the plane.

The other traveler stands in a line at every step — security screening, a café selling $16 sandwiches, a crowded gate — then boards with one of the final groups, hoping there’s still room for a carry-on in the overhead bin before folding into a cramped middle seat. After the cabin lights dim, sleep comes in fragments, and a travel pillow does little to ease a stiff neck.

The contrasting journeys are no accident. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest U.S. airlines have pulled out all the stops to court premium passengers who are willing to pay for comfort, convenience and exclusivity. Budget-conscious travelers may notice a widening gap between the back of the plane and up front as the carriers increasingly build their businesses around selling first-class, business-class and premium-economy seats.

  • Lemmayng@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    The rich better do something about it or hope it won’t be their skulls breaking then.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      They are doing something about it: they’re building bunkers, killbots, and a totalitarian panopticon.

      The question is, what are we doing to defend ourselves?

      • slickgoat@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        The fantasy about the bunker bros is that they think that they will escape the doom.

        They won’t, of course. They may buy themselves a fortnight or so, but not much more. Their air purification system, or something critical, will go on the blink and the guy who knows how to fix it will be already dead.

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          I mean, “bunker” gets the idea across, but it’s kinda underselling it. Ellison and Zuckerberg own nearly the entire island of Kauai, HI between them – the whole island is the bunker, with a 72-mile-wide moat between it and most of Hawaii’s population.

          • slickgoat@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            Sure, but I still think that they will go down the drain with the rest of us.

            England being an island, and having armies and a navy didn’t deter the Vikings. And, in the scenario we are talking about, there will be Vikings.