A Sea Change
 

Airlines are shifting to Business Class only! Soon their other flights will be all Economy or Tourist Class. Separate gates and entrance access. Comments?

Which airlines? I assume you mean the regular legacy lines?

Are we to be alarmed about this?

I don't understand the question?

What are you smoking? I don't understand.......

So what are you saying, not sure if you have been on the pop!!

Airline complaints seem to be about economy class passengers not being treated as business class customers. Cattle cars..crowded buses, tight seating, pay for amenities and others. Crowded entrance halls and long security lines are also noted.
If the airlines decide to operate a two class system how unpleasant will economy travel become? The corporate world is moving to private airplanes. I imagine that all long haul economy class flights will function in efficient Ryanair style.

Airlines are already operating a two, three or four class system, only they are putting all four classes on a single plane.

There are very few routes that would justify a single class aircraft at business class prices. There are business-only airlines covering some of these routes, but what one finds most often now are single class routes in junior jets. These are all economy.

Will economy continue to get less pleasant? Yes, as long as price is a greater criterion for most travelers than comfort, and the evidence of these forums suggests that it is.

Will Ryanair continue to thrive? Yes, as long as people with more time than money are willing to fly from Stanstead to Beauvais on a London to Paris trip rather than Heathrow to CDG, though the best, unless there is a greve on the French end, is Eurostar from Waterloo to Gare du Nord.

In the US it is indeed becoming more economic for a group of business flyers from the same company to fly a chartered aircraft. Three people I know flew by chartered jet from Richmond, VA to Columbia, SC, and back for less money than three fares on USAir, and they were back at their desks by 2 PM.

The big problem with business jet charters is that it may put an entire team or management group at risk, whereas insisting that senior employees fly by different flights, commercial or otherwise, is less risky given the statistics for airline vs charter accidents.

OK. So coach passengers won't feel 1st-class/business-class envy that way. Would coach passengers feel better and smug if airlines introduce a "sub-coach" service offers less services (eg seat with no cushions, you pay for water and using the bathrooms)? ;-)