Free Airline Perks And Upgrades Are A Status Symbol

08.10.2024 - 18:50 / travelpulse.com / North America / Eric Adams / Rich Thomaselli

Nothing seduces like power, not even money. It is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Particularly when it comes to accumulating airline perks and upgrades.

We saw that last week with the allegations against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Turkish Airlines. It’s not that he couldn’t afford such amenities; he could. But to simply place a phone call, or have one placed for you, and have your title flirted around, is the ultimate show of power.

Airline perks and upgrades have become a status symbol in the industry. To steal a line from the film Bull Durham, what better way than to announce your presence with authority? You know what they say, money goes to money and power goes to the powerful.

Tell me, as an ordinary airline passenger could you just pick up a phone and demand an upgrade? I hardly think so.

But there is a status symbol involved, even if there is a quid pro quo.

There’s also the element of being able to do whatever you want. When I was a sportswriter, for instance, many fans would ask me why some athletes dabble in things like cocaine and other illegal activities. Because they can.

They’ve bought the houses and the cars and done the same for their parents and loved ones. They have nothing else to buy or attain. So why not get something taboo that nobody else can really get?

Airline perks and upgrades are just one way of showing that. It’s a way for athletes, businessmen, and, yes, even mayors, to show they can get something that nobody else can really get. Who thought you’re upgrade to business class for a short trip would be so important?

But there is a price to pay. Adams, for example, allegedly had to approve a code violation to get a new consulate built for the Turkish government in New York City. Tit-for-tat.

It’s an indulgence you eventually have to pay for.

Sorry if this sounds trivial and trite, but airline perks and upgrades are a form of currency and a form of power. They are the new status symbol.

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