A little-known 2016 study by Princeton University researchers is getting attention again for a different take on why airline passengers are so grumpy these days. The study, titled “Physical and...
I don't think their research is in conflict with your perception here.
"The study found that just having a first-class section on an airplane quadrupled the chance of an air rage incident and that loading economy passengers through first class doubles that again."
The whole experience is shit and having a first class section makes it even worse psychologically.
Regulators have been relying on a punitive approach to stem the tide […] The National Post quoted sources saying the rate of in-flight nastiness is roughly double what it was in 2019 and […] seems to be increasing […]. Transport Canada […] is considering adding a fine structure for passengers who abuse security agents.
“Our punitive approach isn’t working, so we’ll add another punitive measure,” says regulating agency failing to regulate market to lesser consumer exploitation.
I was honestly expecting them to go the route of just hiding the inequality by finding a way to get economy passengers on the plane without going through first/business class.
"We advance an alternative view: the modern airplane reflects a social microcosm of class-based society, making inequality salient to passengers through both the physical design of the plane (the presence of a first class cabin) and, more subtly, the boarding procedure (whether economy passengers must pass through the first class cabin),"
So dysfunction on planes is a possible indicator people are ready to get violent in society as a whole due to its inequalities being made more obvious onboard. Really starting to think I'm going to see a NA revolution in my lifetime but I'll be too old to 'enjoy' it.