The New Airline Caste System

May 12, 2010 — -- Oh, how the mighty have fallen on their faces. I'm talking about all those so-called financial wizards of recent years taking that inglorious stroll to the pokey -- the "perp walk" to perdition, if you will. And if you had a wry smile of Schadenfreude on your face as you watched this on TV, you are forgiven.

But hold on: Today, there's a new version of the perp walk, one that has nothing to do with Ponzi schemes or other financial misdeeds: It's a walk that innocent business travelers take every day at airports around the country.

You know what I'm talking about: The new parade of "elite" passengers who barge past the throngs of lowly coach passengers (those in zones 2 through 6), waving their specially marked boarding passes as if they were VIP credentials.

Nothing criminal about what they're doing, but they do give off the same whiff of entitlement as the original perp walkers as the rest of us can only sit on the sidelines and seethe.

Call it the new airline caste system.

For more air travel news and insights visit Rick's blog at: http://farecompare.com

Actually, fliers have always been a part of an air travel caste system, ever since the first commercial flight took off from St. Petersburg to Tampa back in 1914. Of course, it was a single caste -- of rich people -- but after all, that first flight cost $175 roundtrip, or $3,700 in today's money (which is especially steep when you consider the flight lasted only 23-minutes).

But eventually things got a bit more democratic, what with the introduction of first, business and economy classes.

Stay Up to Date on the Latest Travel Trends from ABC News on Twitter