The Mechanics of the Premium Pivot
Airlines do not sit passively when fuel prices spike. They pivot. Carriers like United and Delta are aggressively courting business class and premium economy passengers.
Why? Because wealthy travellers have a wonderful trait called inelastic demand. A corporate executive flying to London on the company card is not going to cancel a meeting over a 20% fare increase. A family hunting for the cheapest budget seat to Alicante almost certainly will.
This deliberate shift insulates a chunk of airline revenue from the underlying inflation. Delta even operates its own refinery, an ossified but brilliant piece of vertical integration that gives it an edge most rivals simply lack.
Wealth acts as an incredible shock absorber in financial markets.