1. To “Logical End of the K-Shaped Economy“

From “The Economy Cabin on Airplanes Keeps on Shrinking,” by Dean Seal in The Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2026:

Premium economy seats can be priced at least twice as high as regular economy seats and only take up slightly more room on the plane, according to a report from Global Tourism Forum. For bigger airlines, selling more premium seats helps subsidize spots in their economy cabins at prices competitive with low-cost carriers.

“Delta got more revenue in the fourth quarter from premium ticket sales, which were up 9%, than from the main cabin, where sales fell 7%. Premium revenue outgrew basic economy sales at United in 2025. Both carriers soared past their peers in profitability last year.

So the smaller the economy cabin becomes, the more money airlines make.

2. To “Cracker Barrel Succumbs to Boyd“

From “The Company Where Driving the Wrong Car to Work Can Get You a Ticket,” by Ryan Felton in The Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2026 (that company being Stellantis):

The crackdown has reignited the debate over a longstanding practice in Detroit, where automakers have encouraged employees to spend their paychecks on company-made vehicles—with preferential parking as a perk.

On the other hand:

A Ford spokesman said the company doesn’t designate parking spots for company and competitor vehicles at its corporate facilities.

You might think that an organization in as much trouble as Stellantis would do everything it could to ensure that its members share a clear understanding of how their cars stack up against their competitors’. The people running Stellantis might take to heart the admonition offered by Admiral James Stockdale:

You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. (Jim Collins, Good to Great, p.85)

“Confronting” means more than just looking over tables of data. It implies the mental courage to form a deep understanding — overcoming emotional attachments — and shared through the organization, of how we stack up against our competitors. If I were running Stellantis, I would give bonuses to employees (hourly or salaried or exec) who buy cars from manufacturers in the top 10 of the J.D. Power survey.