There’s no doubt economy ‘pays the bills’, the fuel and everything else. The profit likely comes for the more expensive seats.
My point is that some argue that doing 100 flights a year should give lounge access, but one person spending $10k on a single flight should miss out, because they’re not a ‘frequent flyer’. I don’t see why both can’t be accommodated.
There’s a fascinating documentary on the economics of air travel featuring AA. A single passenger on a transcon 767 could make the difference between the flight operating at a profit, or loss!
