The rich have different rules to you and me

[Duffa]

Tim should have been christened Total

 

[zainman]

The author being a lawyer is probably a "Platinum grade" flyer himself and must only fly business. Don't complain about it

 

[knasty]

Do the airlines pay for the staffing of the express lanes? Is that why they segregate the cards when you present them?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Do the airlines pay for the staffing of the express lanes? Is that why they segregate the cards when you present them?

That's the question we don't know the answer to. It would seem to make sense for it to be 'user pays'.

 

[boomy]

Apparently my income which is just under half the national average makes me "rich"

Or maybe I did some research and made smart use of FF programs...

You be the judge.

This is the beauty about premium travel, all you need is to be rich in knowledge in order to literally sit next to and get the same treatment as those who are rich in cash.
Information is a very strong commodity

 

[Isochronous]

Typical of the tall poppy syndrome drivel that Fairfax likes to publish, and which sadly afflicts far too many Australians.

 

[dairyfloss]

How is one "Bestowed" platinum FF status? I thought it was "Earned"!!

<cough> QF Chairman's Lounge... VA The Club... <cough>

 

[JessicaTam]

Someone needs to put a stop to this. Airlines also give bigger seats to the "rich"...

Not only that but they sit at the front of the plane, so they get to arrive first too!

 

[medhead]

Not only that but they sit at the front of the plane, so they get to arrive first too!

And they are almost guaranteed to die in a crash. No long lingering death, or heaven forbid survival, for them rich people.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And they are almost guaranteed to die in a crash. No long lingering death, or heaven forbid survival, for them rich people.

On Airbus aircraft I reckon it's safer to sit at the front... too far to the rear of the cabin and you risk being injured by birds flying into the back of the plane.

 

[Andyzx]

A small piece of Tim Dick profile - it's good to understand the other side

Tim Dick is a criminal lawyer with Legal Aid. He was formerly a journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald, where he worked in a variety of roles, including as opinion editor. As a lawyer, he is admitted in both Australia and New Zealand. He is the co-founder of the Sydney Story Factory and has volunteered for a week at 826 Valencia. He is the incorporated entity’s public officer and is responsible for its administration and legal compliance.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

A small piece of Tim Dick profile - it's good to understand the other side

So Tim Dick is a criminal lawyer with Legal Aid. With all due respect to the legal fraternity on AFF, I wonder if that's the Top Gun equivalent of flying a cargo load of rubber dog s**t out of Hong Kong?

 

[dajop]

So Tim Dick is a criminal lawyer with Legal Aid. With all due respect to the legal fraternity on AFF, I wonder if that's the Top Gun equivalent of flying a cargo load of rubber dog s**t out of Hong Kong?

But only because they think that transporting the rubber dog s**t is important to make the world a better place. I suspect those working for Legal Aid, irrespective of their abilities as lawyers or the nature of the work, would predisposed to a particular world view, that would make the opinions expressed in the article entirely understandable.

 

[Isochronous]

So Tim Dick is a criminal lawyer with Legal Aid. With all due respect to the legal fraternity on AFF, I wonder if that's the Top Gun equivalent of flying a cargo load of rubber dog s**t out of Hong Kong?

It is far worse than that, my friend.

 

[burmans]

"Tim Dick is a lawyer"

That last line explained the whole stupid article.......

I'm pretty sure there is a transcription error here. Shouldn't that be "Tom the lawyer is a dick"?

OK, maybe I'm just stating the obvious here!

 

[Deleted member]

<cough> QF Chairman's Lounge... VA The Club... <cough>

That was rhetorical !!

 

[JohnK]

And being rich I fly on the cheapest airfare in economy and still use the express lane.

Actually I don't always use the express lane. I always try to use the shortest lane.

 

[clazman]

And being rich I fly on the cheapest airfare in economy and still use the express lane.

Actually I don't always use the express lane. I always try to use the shortest lane.

You dont stay rich if you waste your money, couple of guys i know are worth 50 mil + and they fly red-economy at every chance

 

[juddles]

You dont stay rich if you waste your money, couple of guys i know are worth 50 mil + and they fly red-economy at every chance

Richest guys I know (not many of them) don't actually fly.

 

[badseed]

As someone who has both volunteered for Legal Aid and used the express lane the opinions both in the article and some of them here are just way off.

The express lane is provided for the airlines in order to allow their high-paying or status guests to get through immigration quickly. I have no issues with that at all, but the airlines should be paying for this - not the taxpayers. I suspect that they actually do pay for it.

I guess there'd be some kind of economic argument that getting some high net-worth individuals into or out of the country more quickly results in $x of additional economic activity annually. Maybe the government should fund a study? ;-)