‘The Middle Class’ Is Ruining Business Class, Rich People Reckon

Cry me a (platinum) river...

‘The Middle Class’ Is Ruining Business Class, Rich People Reckon

Image Credit: Getty

Airports are undergoing a crisis of rich people, with the increasing number of passengers who can afford to fly business apparently ruining the experience.


You might think it’s all fun and ergonomically-enhanced games flying business class, but it can still try your patience at times. Speaking of which: many business class travellers reckon there are now too many people with access to business class lounges. They say this defeats the purpose of the lounge.

RELATED: Flying Business Class: Why It’s More Stressful Than Economy

One Forbes writer recently wrote: “But those ‘exclusive’ lounges are now packed with crowds of the mass affluent, people with enough points, miles or ‘elite status’ to get past the sliding doors.”

He added: “The ranks of the mass affluent actually swelled during the pandemic,” further testifying: “People who kept using their points and miles credit cards enhanced their airline status, even while not flying during the pandemic.”

“Now flying again, they are flush with points and craving lounge luxury.”

Forbes

There are two problems with this though: wait times to get into lounges, and overcrowding. Forbes’ writer is far from the only one to notice this. One Mile At A Time has also noticed this issue.

Image Credit: CNN Travel

In 2022, a One Mile At A Time writer shared the story of being admitted into a Turkish Airlines lounge but due to overcrowding “could not find a single open seat.”

“The lounge was simply uncomfortably crowded, so I left.”

One Mile At A Time

He said he came back half an hour later and there was a line at the door, adding that this was not an isolated incident and explaining that “many Delta Sky Clubs look like a New York City nightclub on a Friday night, based on the line at the door.”

The Telegraph minced fewer words, making the bold claim “the middle class has ruined airport lounges.” Tell us how you really feel, why don’t you…

“The inevitable problem with this democratisation of airport lounges is that these once-serene spaces have become oversubscribed, undermining their very purpose.”

The Telegraph

Over on Reddit, too, this issue has been pinpointed. In one thread (see: “What was ruined because too many people did it”) business class was pointed to (alongside climbing Everest and visiting major historical sites) as one of those things that used to be cool, before too many people started doing it.

RELATED: Flying First Class Is More Stressful Than Flying Business Class

There you have it, rich people. Sorry to the bearer of bad news, but flying business class just isn’t swish anymore – it’s mass market…