This guy has apparently never heard of first class. You pay $200 extra, just like he suggested, and you get every perk he suggested that isn't impossible due to government regulation. They'll give you more legroom, better food (and you don't have to pay for it), and even load your carryon for you.
This is just the incoherent rambling of someone who has no real knowledge of one of the most complicated businesses in the world.<p>MOAR! BETTER! FIRE THEM ALL! He never got the memo that airlines operate under thousands of regulations, with extraordinary capital costs, in a marketplace where consumers will pick the ticket that's $20 cheaper every time.
Airlines don't control airports, air traffic control or airport security. Flying has become a bad experience largely in the areas airlines are powerless to correct. Granted, marginally solvent entities probably don't have the capital to support these facilities too, but this just says the business model is very broken as it stands today.<p>Could airports, air traffic control or the security detail (excluding the TSA) actually pay for themselves from flight revenues? I would guess they should since we won't go back to ocean liners or zeppelins.
"There should be two types of travel. Spit these airplanes up. People that want to pay the cheapest possible price, and pack them into an airplane and give them a shitty experience. And people that are willing to pay extra and be loyal, give me a completely different experience."<p>This already exists, it's called First Class and platinum status. It may not exist at the price point that OP wants.
For $45,000 down and about 15k a flight plus gas milage, you can have this experience with Delta.<p>They'll fly you around the country in small jets used for business class clientele only.<p>Now, its pricey but it exists. That's the seperate "class" that you're talking about.<p>They meet you at the gate, take your luggage, and even send a limo to pick you up and take you to your destination. You never see security screening either.
Flew Delta across country. Food was good (and you paid for it). Had TV+games on the back of every chair in coach. Even served Ben and Jerry's icecream.<p>I think planes ARE being divvyed up like he is saying (business and or first class, sky lounges, etc), just he's underestimating the amount of people who don't want to pay to sit in luxury at 35000ft.
I may be misremembering this because I'm not a major traveller, but wasn't there a time when fares were regulated, so the government set the fare for a given route and class of travel, and the airlines competed for passengers by trying to make the travel experience better (since they could not compete on price)?
Well, it seems there's a lot of the author's points covered by upgrading to business class, but that's an extra $1000 transatlantic, not $200. If it was $200, I'd pay the upgrade fee myself even if my employer wouldn't cover it. Unfortunately, $1k is simply too much :(