On a whim, I checked what the rate is to hire a private jet. Can't really do a prop as it'll take too long to get anywhere.

Rate for a Gulfstream jet was about $2500 per hour.

So, "for the rich".

Best estimate I can find, her flight cost her work about $20,000 round-trip.

I think we're upper-middle-class-ish, but there's no way we could justify chartering a jet for a family vacation if it costs as much as a car (a smaller jet might "only" be around $12,000 for the same trip AFAICT).

I know the poster specifically mentioned a jet but GA in general is absolutely within reach. With a license it costs maybe $150/hr to fly a Cessna 172 (and you're usually only billed for time the engine's actually running).

How much does it cost to get a license?

Can a Cessna 172 take me and my wife and child across the country to New York? Is parking a plane there free?

"Especially as a hobby" has nothing to do with what we're talking about here. Horseback riding is also affordable as a hobby, but nobody's bringing it up in a thread about the TSA because it has just as much relevance.

It can range anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 (at the extremely high end) to get your PPL. Ramp fees vary.. Usually free if you buy 10 gallons of gas while you're there, otherwise $5-$15 per day.

Can a Cessna 172 get you to New York? Sure, if you have the time. It'll be a long and monotonous flight though.

Now, with all of that said, your point still stands. GA flying is a hobby and almost always more expensive than hopping on an airline.

That's not really a good comparison. You might as well say driving is within reach for most people.

You can drive at 70MPH. Windspeed doesn't impact you. The Cesna will cruise at ~140MPH. Windspeed might delay your arrival to the point that it's much faster to drive for shorter trips though. The jet will do 530MPH.

Maybe the Cesna makes sense if there's no reasonably direct route by freeway. Or you're island hopping. It seems like a fairly small window where chartering a Cesna makes sense though (IMO). You can't transport a family of 4 with luggage. It'll be more expensive than the (commercial, not private) Jet, and take about 4 times longer. For every 1-1/2 hours of Jet travel, you'll have to refuel the Cesna as well. And if you though economy class on a commercial Jet was uncomfortable you're in for a rude awakening as well. ;-)

GA is also orders of magnitude more dangerous than flying commercial. Most life insurance specifically excludes it.

GA is also a great way to get yourself killed. Whereas modern passenger air travel is the safest form of travel known to man.

Can we also acknowledge that the average SV developer is probably in the upper quartile of wages in the US (if going by the median, not average)