Stars really are just like us. Celebrities and other VIP types increasingly are bypassing snazzy fuel-guzzling private jets for something less glamorous, maybe even flying -- can you believe it? -- coach.
Sean "Diddy" Combs recently made a splash on the Internet when he waved his coach-class ticket for a video camera and greeted surprised fellow travelers on an American Airlines flight, complaining that lofty fuel costs had grounded his private jet. Combs' publicists later said that the video was a spoof to dramatize high oil prices and that, since Combs was only a part owner, the jet was never actually grounded.
For the rest of us, the high cost of flying has wiped the smile off the friendly skies, propelling a wholesale lowering of expectations among travelers.
Many companies are telling employees to trade down when they fly or to travel less often. Sleek corporate jets that guzzle fuel fast enough to make Hummers look thrifty have been bumped in favor of the minivans of the sky: pokier, noisier, less-luxurious turboprop planes or piston-driven rides that might not even have a bathroom in the back.
Singer Michelle Williams isn't ashamed to admit that she's flying with the people these days. The former Destiny's Child member is zipping around the country promoting a third solo album, called "Unexpected," logging flight hours that would impress even jaded business travelers.
Williams could easily do telephone interviews with radio DJs, but hanging out on the air and in person can result in more airtime for her music. During one recent promotional week, Williams flew from Chicago to New York, then to Minneapolis, Las Vegas and San Francisco before flying back to New York and then to Chicago.
"It gets taxing, and this year it's very costly," Williams said. She books a coach-class ticket and uses the free miles she earns to upgrade to first class when she can. Sometimes, she just stays in coach.
"We all have to adjust. We just have to deal with it," Williams said. "These prices are not going to come down."
Even though oil is well off its record highs, bringing the U.S. average gas price for self-serve regular to about $3.05 a gallon, the average price of the high-octane fuels used by small aircraft is about $5.35 a gallon but can cost nearly $9 at some airports, according to AirNav.com, which provides data to help pilots plan flights.
