[usrusr]

> Who'd pay that kind of money today for a commercial flight?

People willing to throw money at connecting with others who do the same thing. That was the main value proposition back then I think, getting from continent to continent in a short time has never been more than a tangential benefit. Of course this type of business only really works when everybody involved claims the opposite.

[anovikov]

Today these people hang out at private jet FBOs.