A nasty collision at LaGuardia Airport has turned the weekend into a logistical nightmare for the elite. An Air Canada jet hit a ground vehicle on the runway. Two pilots are dead. The real tragedy is the total shutdown of the hub. Hundreds of NetJets flights have been grounded indefinitely.

Private lounges are filling up with frustrated travelers. The caviar is getting warm. The champagne is running low. It is a shocking reminder of how fragile our luxury infrastructure has become. One little mistake and everyone is forced to sit with the public.

Security line-skipping for Congress members has been suspended. Even the powerful are feeling the pinch. This is what happens when public utilities are allowed to decay. We need private runways that don't have to deal with commercial traffic. Until then, we are all stuck in the same miserable terminal.