Summers are here, most of us have taken the jab and are now aching to travel. However, thanks to Covid the already cumbersome waiting times at the airport will not be exponentially increased with the extra security and health checks. Giving us all the time in the world for well, ‘people watching’. Let’s admit it, it’s fun sitting in one busy corner of the airport sipping beer or coffee and gazing at the passing crowds that include over-enthusiastic Tiktokers, fashionistas, and the always posting Instagrammers. Beyond the Dior bags and Louboutins, Bill Haymaker tells us how to spot if a wealthy person at the airport.
Twenty years ago I’d say the quiet reserve of a gentleman wearing a Brooks Brothers Shirt & Tie would be a dead giveaway. However, this is no longer the discernment. The truth is that people vary too much these days. The savviest traveler makes themselves as inconspicuous as possible. It’s far, far safer. You can forget about the women schlepping about with a Louis Vuitton handbag draped over their shoulder; dollars to doughnuts, they put it on a credit card and will be paying interest on it long after the handles have fallen off.
There IS, however, a rather interesting observation regarding First Class passengers and Business Class. The rule of thumb is that the Business Class passenger is almost over-dressed. This can suggest they’re typically economy passengers but have used FQTV miles for an upgrade, or their company is paying for the ticket, and they want to feel as if they have ‘Arrived!’ Vive la différence! Oui?
The First Class passenger has little interest in impressing others, so they tend to be much more relaxed in their attire. They know the drill, they know their sleep cycles, and they know it’s a flippin waste of a pair of Louboutin’s and a nice Bergdorf Goodman’s outfit to get it all crinkled up on a flight. Yawn.
As a child, I was standing next to my mother in The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. She was with one of her snobby ‘tasteful Upper East Side’ friends when a lady they both knew briefly said hello to them.
My mother’s friend commented that ‘at last, she seems to be joining the ‘nouveau riche.’ My mother’s cutting retort was ‘Forget the nouveau riche, it’s the ‘riche’ that matters!’ I’ve tried to live that down, and some of her worse comments my entire life.
People are people, and it really shouldn’t matter what their bank balance is. What matters is what their moral balance is.
Funny, I’ve always considered myself as one of the wealthiest people in the world. But I’d never look at my bank balance to know this. What I know is that I love and that I am loved. To me, that’s Priceless!
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