• netvor@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    They used to be also fascinated by plastic.

    I bet their smiles would not last long realizing that the 5g bag of pretzels has 2g of plastic (and that’s just the tip of the plastiberg).

    • jaybone@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      But back then the price was regulated so they had to compete on service.

      That might have been more that 50 years now.

    • VelvetStorm@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It was like 135 bucks for the cheapest unrestricted ticket in the usa in 1975, which comes out to around 814 bucks today. Where as I can buy a round-trip ticket right now for 220, which is the equivalent of 38 bucks in 1975.

      And to really put that into perspective, an average house in 1975 cost 39k, and if you take out a 20-year lone with 9% interest, you are looking at 193 bucks per month for your rent. So a single plane ticket in 1975 was 69% of the average monthly rent for a house.

      Idk why I did all this, but my adhd told me I had to.

      • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Ehh…

        The bottom line

        Proportionally (inflation considered), flights are much cheaper now than they were 50 years ago. Consequently, flying is a more accessible mode of transport for many and has resulted in the soaring popularity of air travel, which began after deregulation. However, despite the cost drop, the base cost of flying has increased as airlines operate small profit margins and seek to remain competitive.

        • Rinox@feddit.it
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          2 months ago

          If you want you can go first class you know. It’s more or less as much as it was in the 50s and you get possibly even more luxury. Just be ready to pay 5k instead of a hundred bucks

      • morrowind@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        Not on longer flights. It doesn’t benefit airlines much to make smaller tray tables

        • deranger@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          Save on weight means save on gas. Multiply that by thousands of flights and it adds up. United printed their in flight magazines on lighter paper and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars, just by using thinner paper.

          They only eliminated 5kg per 737, but that added up to $290k savings.

          By using lighter paper to print their in-flight magazine, Hemisphere, United Airlines saves up to 170,000 gallons of fuel, which cuts about $290,000 in annual fuel costs.

          One magazine is now one 29 g lighter and weights 195 g which will make a usual 737 plane that carries 179 passengers 5 kg lighter on average.

          https://www.kiwi.com/stories/united-prints-lighter-magazine-saves-170000-gallons-fuel/

          • morrowind@lemmy.ml
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            2 months ago

            United makes 50B in revenue a year. I’m guessing that stunt gave them more value in marketing than actual savings.

            • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              You clearly do not understand basic math nor how rampant greed in capitalism works. Sad.

              If it saves them money, they WILL do it. (or even appears to save money)

              Or do you think Scrooge types aren’t literally known for penny-pinching when they’re already rich and wouldn’t even notice the pennies going missing?

          • slaacaa@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Good example, aviation is probably the most penny-fucking business in the planet, it’s a life and death fight between the companies, trying to keep costs low.

  • hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 months ago

    Eh, if you’re looking for the cheapest ticket available you can’t really expect luxury. Airlines are competing with prices, so all luxury goes off the window like a passenger on a Boeing flight

  • psycho_driver@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Yeah but at least the quality of service has went from smiling attractive courteous flight attendants to snarling aisle donkeys.

  • Capt. Wolf@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    So I remember taking a flight 10 years ago and they gave us pretzel pieces from snyders. I thought, great, we don’t even get whole pretzels…

    Next flight, they give us generic “trail mix” in clear bags. The kind the old folks down the street would give out at Halloween because it was “healthy.” but that contained approximately 2 pretzels the size of quarters, 3 peanuts, 3 generic m&ms, and 2 raisins…

    It gave me the impression that airlines are like schools, where the flight staff are the ones bringing in the snacks because the airline is too cheap to supply them.

        • aidan@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          My grandparents were both teachers and are rich. Granted one was a professor, but the other a public school teacher.

          • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            In any case, anecdotes do not and cannot disprove the actual statistics.

            Also, if you live in a country that actually respects intelligence, I’d HOPE your teachers are actually paid well. Sadly, the US despises intelligence right now…

            • aidan@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              In dying rural areas in the US teachers are generally some of the best paid. Its mostly in cities where their pay lags. But no, they live in the US in LA(CA, not the state). Also, FYI just because I live in one country doesn’t mean its the same my grandparents live in.

              • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                Ahh yes, California, a state that pays more, AND in LA, where wages are WAY higher because cost of living is way higher…

                Thank you for describing why your anecdote is an outlier and DEFINITELY doesn’t prove any norm.

                • aidan@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  Thank you for describing why your anecdote is an outlier and DEFINITELY doesn’t prove any norm.

                  Where did I say it was the norm??? You called someone a liar for giving an anecdote. Outliers do happen…

  • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    Stupid. The cost for flights then was more like beyond first class prices now.

    • dtrain@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Stupid. The cost for flights then was more like beyond first class prices now.

      And a lot more smoky.

      • tpihkal@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Don’t like the smoke? Then sit on the other side of the aisle in the non-smoking section.

      • abcd@feddit.org
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        2 months ago

        This reminded me of that one flight as a kid, when I was seated in a row with two smokers. I literally couldn’t breathe. I’m happy that my kids don’t have to experience shit like this.

  • roboto@feddit.org
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    2 months ago

    You guys get snacks?

    With Ryanair I’m thankful that they have to offer a seat.

  • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    We are too reliant of air travel as it is. With the advent of the internet we should reduce air travel down to permitted leisure/visiting family and migration. Businesses should be able to video confernced most transactions. The situations where you absolutely need on site representation can be reduced drastically.

    That is, if you took climate change seriously.

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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    2 months ago

    Good old airlines and their ideal business model:

    Charge you like you’re flying on Concorde.

    Treat you like you’re on a 16th century slaving ship.