People go to extreme lengths in order to get themselves sitting as near to the pointy bit of a plane as possible, especially on long flights. During the process, every emotion is used from grovelling to indignation, lies and sheer cunning. Sexual promise has also been tried but frankly it got me nowhere.
First the airlines began offering discounted business class fares for travel this summer--around $2000 round trip with an advance purchase and Saturday night stay. But these kinds of deals have become common place during the summer season over the past few years.
Virgin Atlantic turned the tide slightly in class wars by announcing that economy-class passengers pay lower fuel surcharges than more pampered premium-class travelers. The differentiation is a departure from the standard industry protocol of applying the same surcharge to all passenger tickets for a given flight.
