This week, Canadian airline WestJet became one of the first to try to switch the ability to recline into a paid “perk” by announcing that it was reconfiguring 43 of its Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-800 (BA) planes to have what it classifies as a “refreshed range of seating options.”
I wish our government would regulate this shit. Airlines shouldn’t be able to nickle and dime like this. Prices just keep going up 😒
I agree, something should be done. But I’m not sure about price increase. I’ve been flying one long haul destination for almost 20 years. The catch? The price has been about there all this time. I always book a long time in advance, but still.
Do you have any idea how much more expensive flying used to be? When I was small, in the 1960s, people might take one overseas flight in their lives. Some never did.
A quick search indicates that a round-trip flight between New York and London in 1965 cost about $3,500 in today’s dollars. Now it averages $800.
Not that I disagree that airlines are nickel and diming people and keep pushing to see how far they can go before it hurts their bottom line.
People bitch and moan about airlines, but the only problem I have had with airlines is the passengers.
No one had to fly beside some sweaty fat fuck in flip flops in 1965.
Like in the 60s, the IBM 3.5mb hard drive went for $35,000 a month. Now the 24,000,000mb drives are $370.
Phill Edwards has a great video talking about the changes in airlines, while focused on the US market, it has a wide impact to the entire industry.
As a matter of fact after looking into this a little more, it’s cheaper to fly now for several reasons. Not just economy of scale but also the technology.
(Note: All 1970 figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 U.S. dollars using a CPI multiplier of approximately 8.04. We assume a 1970 jet fuel price of $0.11/gallon and a 2024 price of $2.50/gallon.)
Cost Analysis: 707 vs. 737 MAX 8 Aircraft & Capacity
(Note: Hourly Operating Costs focus on Fuel, Crew, and Maintenance for direct comparison of operational efficiency.)
This direct comparison between two similarly sized narrow-body aircraft reveals a profound improvement in aviation economics over the past 50 years.
Acquisition Costs and Capacity: Remarkably, the 737 MAX 8 is actually cheaper in real terms (-14.5%) than the Boeing 707 was in 1970. The 707 was expensive, state-of-the-art technology for its time. Manufacturing efficiencies and the massive scale of the 737 program have driven down the real acquisition cost of modern narrow-bodies, despite their increased complexity. Furthermore, the 737 MAX 8 carries about 14.5% more seats (166 vs. 145) due to modern, denser seating configurations.
The Fuel Efficiency Chasm: This is the most striking technological difference. The 707 utilized four early-generation, low-bypass engines that were incredibly thirsty, burning about 2,500 gallons per hour. The 737 MAX 8, utilizing two highly advanced, high-bypass CFM LEAP engines, burns only 580 gallons per hour. This represents a 76.8% reduction in fuel burn per hour.
Operating Costs Plummet: When comparing these two aircraft, the total hourly operating cost of the 737 MAX 8 is 43.8% lower in real terms than the 707.
The combined effect of higher seating density and better load factors means the average 737 MAX 8 flight carries 141.1 passengers, nearly double the 71.5 passengers carried on the average 707 flight (+97.3%). Conclusion
When comparing the Boeing 707 directly to the modern 737 MAX 8, the advancements are extraordinary. The modern aircraft is cheaper to buy (in real terms), carries more seats, and costs nearly half as much to operate per hour.
By combining a 43.8% reduction in hourly costs with a 97.3% increase in passengers per flight, the inflation-adjusted cost to the airline to fly one passenger for one hour has decreased by a staggering 71.5% (from $75.90 to $21.62).
Why should people be able to fly for cheap?
Air travel is the single biggest contributor to CO2 pollution that the average person produces. Environmentally speaking, air travel should more expensive.
And we have overtourism running rampant now precisely because air travel is now so cheap, destroying many local economies in tourism hot spots.
Totally, only the ultra wealthy should be able to afford flying.
Those plebs crammed into economy are what’s really killing the planet. That’s why I’m glad I use paper straws so the CEO of Starbucks can fly 1000 miles a day on his private jet to work. RTO baby!
They’re also a lot more planes today.
But that would add needless bureaucracy! The industry will regulate itself and save taxpayer money!