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Comment by JumpCrisscross | Hacker News Reader

> innovation has been about how to fit as many meat bags as possible in a shoe box

That's an odd way to describe the most accessible era of global travel in human history. It's not like first class tickets, which provide a comparable experience at a comparable inflated-adjusted price, aren't available to bring back the 60s.

There are more travelers who want a cheaper ticket than there are those who want, more than cheaper tickets, (a) more comfort or (b) faster travel. Evidence for this is in the demand for cheap tickets with long layovers and repeat flyers in basic economy.

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I recently paid bottom dollar for a flight and was annoyed when my knees jammed up against the seat in front of me. I had to contort myself a bit to fit.

Then I chuckled at the annoyance since I, myself, had decided to get the dirt-cheapest flight available. Couldn't even be bothered to pay +$15 for an emergency exit seat.

...And I would've done it all the same again for that 2 hour flight.

I just saw a Reddit thread where someone asked how many people would pay extra for a flight with no babies allowed. I had to roll my eyes at every commenter who said they would.

2 hour flight is OK, but 5+? I would pay up.

> Flying is the worst one because people come back from flights and they're telling you their story, and it's like a horror story. They act like their flight was a cattle car in the 40s in Germany. They're like, 'it was the worst day of my life! First of all, we didn't board for like 20 minutes and then they made us sit there on the runway for 40 minutes! We had to sit there!' Oh really? What happened next? Did you FLY in the AIR incredibly like a BIRD? Did you partake in the miracle of human flight, you non-contributing zero?! ... You're sitting in a chair in the SKY! Here's the thing: people say there's delays. Delays? Really? New York to California in 5 hours. That used to take 30 years! And a bunch of you would die on the way there, and have babies... you'd be a whole different group of people by the time you got there. Now, you watch a movie, you take a dump, and you're home!

— Louis CK

I pay extra for direct flights and take JetBlue or Alaska Air when they're available regardless of the cost compared to other airlines like United. I rarely come across babies on my flights, but I'd pay a bit more for an airline that resulted in reduced boarding and deplaning times.

I regularly pay extra for a flight with no babies.

There are two airports an equal distance from my house. One has cheap flights, and the other does not. The one with the cheap flights also happens to be the airport for Walt Disney World.

I fly out of the expensive airport whenever possible.

> It's not like first class tickets, which provide a comparable experience at a comparable inflated-adjusted price, aren't available to bring back the 60s.

A Business Class ticket on an international route is incomparably luxurious compared to anything you could purchase in the 1960s. And some of the First Class products take it to the next level. That's before you take into account the safety, time-saving, and cabin-pressure differences.

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