Exactly. You can still fly businesses and pay the same price as before, it just became massively more accessible than before,

> You can still fly businesses and pay the same price as before

You can't really though - e.g. 25 years ago you could fly economy from Vancouver Canada to Sydney Australia for $2600. (Inflation adjusted.) You can now do that flight for $1400. Pretty good, but the kicker is that flying business class is now $5300. Even premium economy is $4400. (Prices are all the cheapest I see on Google Flights over the rest of 2024, so some of them are limited to very specific dates.)

Probably the most equivalent price to 25 years ago is basic economy plus paying for a meal, snack, checked bag and selection of an exit row seat, but today's premium economy is probably the most equivalent service level to yesterday's basic economy.

Very interesting. A flight from Europe to Sydney, for example, is 1150€ round trip.

I can see round trips from e.g. London for ~1000€ but to be fair business class seems to start at ~4000.

From what I can find e.g. SF to Sydney was $2300 US in 1986 (over $6000 now).

London - Sydney. Allegedly might have been as low $600 (~$2200) both ways in 1980 (though I don't think economy back then was even remotely close to modern business class...)

You already have the choice to pay more to upgrade to better seats/experience. If I value price over luxury, why would you want take that choice from me? There is no world where we regulate first class for everyone but at basic economy prices.

Air travel in coach is still not too bad as long as you take an international flight. The US domestic flights, however, are truly awful.

I stopped over in Newark once on the way to SFO from Europe. Never again. The domestic flight from Newark to SFO was such a nightmare I'd much rather do the full 11 hours direct on a Transatlantic flight.

So you believe poor people shouldn't be allowed to travel?