The International Air Transport Association reported earlier this month that premium ticket purchases fell 21% globally in February — which follows January’s decline of 16.7%.  Part of the drop is due to falling air traffic, but a good bit of it is from tighter corporate travel policies that are pushing mid-level executives to the back of the plane.  Not good for the airlines because, according to one analyst, it can take up to 10 coach fliers to replace the revenue of one business-class flier.  

The question that no one seems to want to ask is — is a seat in the business-class cabin worth a 10x price premium?  I flew business class on the three international legs of my recent trip between to Johannesburg, South Africa — South Africa Airlines on the outbound New York-to-Johannesburg leg, and then returned on Lufthansa from Johannesburg to Frankfurt, and United from Frankfurt to Chicago.  It’s a long trip, and so should highlight the value of business class.  But for me, it didn’t — it just reinforced the question.

None of these flights were particularly memorable — the service was marginal, the food was at best just OK, though the wine selection wasn’t bad (SAA was the best).  The big difference was the seat reclines — full flat on SAA, almost flat on Lufthansa, and Lazy-Boy recline on United — which certainly made for a much better night’s sleep than the 3-4 inches of recline provided in coach.  So, the $5-7,000 premium is really about a shorter check-in line, 3-4 free glasses of wine, and a night’s sleep.  Can you justify that in these economic times?  The airlines certainly hope so.

Recorded somewhere over the Atlantic in the business class toilet of a South African Airways A340 and the Rosebank Hotel in Johannesburg at the start of a week’s stay in South Africa. We talk about inconsistent rules for mobile devices on planes, the value of renewing my CLEAR registered traveler membership, the three things that make a restaurant a great place to eat solo, and listener suggestions on the one thing you never want to hear on a flight. Here’s a direct link to the podcast file.

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I travel frequently through Denver International Airport (DEN) to visit family and to ski.  From this first-hand experience, I’ve always believed that the DEN TSA crew is among the nation’s worst.  According to an internal TSA report, a key reason is the local TSA management.  Denver’s NBC affiliate obtained a copy of the report and ran an investigative segment on last night’s 10pm news.  The internal report labeled the DEN TSA management team “retaliatory,” “inconsistent,” “lack integrity” and “antagonist.”

Former screeners claim that the hostile atmosphere detracts TSA employees from effectively screening passengers and luggage.  One current screener who asked not to be identified said “The culture is one that really promotes a lot of underhanded, retaliatory action from people and doesn’t really promote hard work and ethical behavior.” No wonder the TSA is at the bottom (220 out of 222) of the latest Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings.  Next time I get hassled at Denver, I’ll try not to take it personally — apparently it’s just the TSA way.