Here’s an interesting New York Times article about the difference between first class and economy class travel. First, I’m thinking the author is talking about US domestic flights. Oh gosh, those first class seats! Compared with business class in European or Asian airlines, first class seats on US airlines fail miserably.

I know I’m privileged. I’ve been flying on business so often lately that I am completely spoiled. The lounge access, the priority check-in and boarding, the personalised service, better food and of course the bigger seats. Interesting point made in the article:

But here’s the puzzle. Such shameful feelings do not arise in hotels with concierge floors, in trains with business-class cars, in traffic jams where S.U.V. drivers five feet above me glare down.

Could it be the blatant arrogance at which business class passengers rub it in the faces of the sheep/cattle class that occupies the after cabins? The envious looks as they trudge down the aisles to the back of the plane on boarding … I’ve seen plenty of those. It’s like, “who are you to have this luxury while I’m gonna be stuck in a middle seat fighting two armrest battles?”

And the worst?

It’s that insubstantial curtain that is drawn after we reach altitude, the one that pretends to protect decadent first-class activities — it cannot be lap-dancing, orgies or the tango — from the purportedly covetous eyes of the rest of us. What that curtain really does, its sole purpose, believe me, is to keep us from using the toilet up there.

You know what, that is so true. Many a thick-skinned economy passenger has dared push aside that curtain and sneaked into a toilet they don’t have the right to go into. No matter that there are 4 toilets in business for 30 people and 6 toilets in economy for 200. Too bad.

Here’s a secret. Business class toilets are just the same as economy class toilets. They aren’t plated in gold; nor do they have massagers or individually wrapped soaps. They are cleaner and have a few more towels and lotions, but the riff-raff are not supposed to know this.