Today a friend of mine e-mailed me a CNN article titled, "Amazing airline meals, if you splurge ...", about First-Class dining across the Pacific.  Considering myself a "Road Warrior", I didn't find anything spectacular or impressive for that matter, about the article.  Actually, the only thing I thought was if CNN was going to take a picture of me sitting in a first-class seat, I wouldn't be wearing what he was wearing - a t-shirt with the neck stretched out.  Cathy gives pjs in FC, at least go put that on...

What I found absolutely startling was the comments from other readers at the end of the article, note the number after  "LIKE" meaning the number of other readers agreeing with the comment:

JKMM9

Life is full of ironies...people with dirty drinking water in Pakistan and people paying $25,000 to eat gourmet in the air. On the same webpage...in the same world. Heaven help us.

1 day ago | Like (23) | Report abuse

retrox

CNN this is a disgrace. Cathay Pacific buys ads on your website formonths... and then you feature them in this advertorial that really has no news value. I know you have to make money, but at least try to beless obvious.

1 day ago | Like (14) | Report abuse

xorpa

Going against the spirit of American capitalism and individualism, I still get nauseated reading about these people who spend >$10,000 ona flight- AND- flaunting it on CNN while many in the rest of the country are worrying if they may end up on the streets in the coming days. Something's not ri... more

Going against the spirit of American capitalism and individualism, Istill get nauseated reading about these people who spend >$10,000 ona flight- AND- flaunting it on CNN while many in the rest of thecountry are worrying if they may end up on the streets in the comingdays. Something's not right. less

1 day ago | Like (18) | Report abuse

Linda001001

What a waste of money. I would rather donate it to children in the U.S.that don't have food then worry about what I eat on a plane flight.

2 days ago | Like (21) | Report abuse

And because it was a Chinese airline, there were a few anti-Chinese sentiments like this:

pjdxxxwa9827Makes me wonder if this is one of the insidiuos ways Chiina will takeover the world by suggesting that they are your friend and want toplease you. China is buying up property worldwide. They own an alarming part of the US now, through buying real estate and readily loaning the US money, esp. wh... more

Some even commented on the Hilton family and even Paris Hilton...what?!?

Of course, there were a few others telling the rest to chill.  But I was surprised that there was such a backlash.  When the economy started to go down starting in 2008, Louis Vuitton had to cut it's workforce at the factory in France that made its handbags.    One has to keep in mind that the reason why we are in the situation we are in is because we have moved a large chunk our manufacturing outside of the US and we have become a SERVICE economy.  Hello?  SERVICE?  What this means is that people have to SPEND money.  And one spending $300 on a Chicago-Los Angeles ticket is the same thing as spending a $12,000 ticket from Chicago-Beijing.

For some, the $300 might seem like a big splurge.  I don't know what to say about those who responded so negatively.  Everything trickles down and across far and wide.  Because of someone willing to spend money for a ticket, regardless of its price, it goes to pay for Cathy's employees at Los Angeles Airport, the baggage handlers, LAX's landing and parking fees, etc.  It is from those paychecks each individual worker then use their money to donate to the causes of their choice.  How about the type of aircraft they were flying in - a Boeing 747-400?  Where did that come from?  Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington.  Cathy is able to pay their debt payments (possibly to a US company like GE Capital) and their shareholders all over the world from those ticket prices.  It isn't being siphoned off to some black hole in China.