DISQUS

Christopher S. Penn's Awaken Your Superhero: Boarding a plane as an economics problem

  • Daniel Johnson, Jr. · 1 year ago
    I haven't flown since 1990. I know that the next time I do, I'm in for quite a rude awakening.
  • Mark Blevis · 1 year ago
    Okay. This is nothing short of brilliant. With all of the travel I have done of late in which I have observed everything about carry-on luggage that you've described, your solution would make the passenger experience more comfortable and less frustrating.

    Take it to the top, Chris! Start with United Airlines. With the way they're mishandling themselves, they need all the help they can get.
  • Joe · 1 year ago
    Great post. Many, many things can be broken down this way. For some reason, when you are elevated to the role of VP or CEO, all sorts of common sense goes out the window. Take another form of mass transit - BART/Caltrain (for those in the SF bay area). The solution to increased operating costs? Increased ticket prices. This in turn causes tickets sales to drop as the cost-benefit ratio declines. The remaining passengers pay even more over time. How in the world does this translate into sustainable mass transit?

    My other pet peeve that might be closer to you - 529 accounts. Why are 529 accounts not tax deductible in my state (CA)? If I am saving for my my childs' education, I am not only investing in their future, but the future of the state/country (one could argue)....incentivize me. Gym memberships and other health related activities too. You want me to be healthy, give me a discount/tax break on healthy activities. Imagine the savings we as tax payers would have on health care costs!

    At the end of the day, a large part of our cultures problems are caused by bad economic policies. We all too frequently encourage the wrong type of behavior. If the systems that affect us all are setup properly, a lot of our problems would be minimized, if not eliminated outright.