Kevin Hart got people talking after he referred to commercial aircraft as “pedestrian,” raising eyebrows about wealth gaps and inequality.<\/p>\n
In an interview<\/a> with Complex<\/a> (@complex) posted on TikTok, host Speedy Morman asked Hart when he had last taken a commercial flight. The comedian took a long pause and even appeared to look off camera to members of his team for help.<\/p>\n “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a pedestrian plane,” he said, guessing 14 or 15 years.<\/p>\n Celebrities are known to fly on private jets, an expensive perk in more ways than one. According to Business Insider<\/a>, it costs more than $1 million a year to operate a jet (after the purchase price, which can run into the multimillions), with hangar rentals, staff payments, maintenance, and more.<\/p>\n A celebrity can also charter a private plane without owning one, which comes with its own costs, such as membership fees. Chartering also comes with a bonus: Privately owned jets (including Taylor Swift’s) can be tracked by the public, while chartered jets’ passenger manifests remain private.<\/p>\n Private jets are notorious contributors to air pollution, raising the question of accountability from celebs jetting across the globe. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation<\/a>, private jets produced 19.5 million tonnes of pollution in 2023, a 25% increase from the previous decade \u2014 and more than that of all flights, including commercial ones, that left London’s Heathrow Airport that year.<\/p>\n Overall, only 1.8% of the carbon pollution from aviation comes from private jets, while the industry as a whole is responsible for about 4% of pollution, according to a 2024 study cited by PBS<\/a>. But as its lead author Stefan Gossling noted, “The damage is done by those with a lot of money, and the cost is borne by those with very little money.”<\/p>\n Commenters weren’t pleased with Hart’s casual dismissal of commercial flying.<\/p>\n “I guess we’re peasants,” one person quipped.<\/p>\n Another added, “That’s so much pollution.”<\/p>\n “People in commercial planes made you,” someone else observed.<\/p>\n Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices \u2014 and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD’s exclusive Rewards Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n