American’s 737 MAX: Not Terrible, But Sad (2018)
Whenever I hear a complain about airline experience, I am reminded by the fact that air travel has become cheaper every year. What used to cost $1800 for a flight from USA to New Delhi just 10-15 years ago is now less than $800.<p>Consumers have shown that price is _the_ most important factor for choosing a flight. Unlike other industries, say buying a  piece of furniture, consumers evaluate pros and cons of short term cost savings with long-term reliability and durability. In transportation, consumers are willing to sacrifice comfort for cost to the extent that Airlines are willing to go to extreme measures to cut costs. Consumers are asking for this whilst complaining about lack of comfort - what a insane dichotomy of entitlement and personal choice.<p>Furthermore, I don&#x27;t understand the fascination for traveling first&#x2F;business class as if it is some kind of an absolute luxury. People can&#x27;t stop talking about &quot;Dude, you gotta fly Singapore Air business class, it is the best thing ever&quot;. You know what? My apartment has 900 sq foot of space, a full sized bed, music system, hot shower, balcony and a fully equipped kitchen. I would rather sit in my lounge chair enjoying some Bob Dylan than to sit in that Singapore Air business class seat trapped in a tube full of entitled humans. First or business class is a <i>relative</i> luxury, relative to the economy class. It is not some sort of an absolute experience of ground breaking luxury that leaves me in awe. If I wanted that, I would get a night at the Four Seasons for much less or go eat a fine meal or better yet, go do something that is <i>truly</i> awe-inspiring like stargazing. I am not saying that Business class sucks, I am saying that it has its place - i.e., precisely between take off and landing.