Despite her wealth and success as a multimillionaire real estate mogul, Barbara Corcoran chooses to fly economy, even though she could easily afford first-class luxury. However, her reasoning behind the frugal choice is practical… and heartwarming.
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During a Dec. 10 appearance on The Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast, the 75-year-old Shark Tank star shared why she chooses to fly in economy class despite having the means to afford seats that come with caviar and champagne.
“Do you know what a first-class ticket costs?” Corcoran implored Kern Lima. As Corcoran sees it, she can rig the system to save money and treat her family.
“Listen, the way I figure it is, a coach ticket is about 25 percent of a first-class ticket,” she said. “I get the free miles, and I can give them away. I have everybody in my family flying on my free miles.”
“What’s more important—that everybody gets free vacations, or that I’m comfortable in first class? I guess I could afford to do both, but I won’t because I’ll be in coach feeling really smug because I know I have three plane tickets that could take somebody somewhere. It accumulates, you know?” Corcoran added.
Barbara Corcoran’s Family Also Gets to Enjoy Her Multiple Homes
However, Corcoran’s lucky family doesn’t just get to fly for free. They also get to stay in her swanky estates.
In the episode, Kern Lima—an entrepreneur, author, and Guest Shark from Season 16—asked Corcoran about the scheduling system she uses to keep her properties consistently in use.
“There’s not a single bed in any of my homes that’s ever empty,” Corcoran said. “What is more satisfying than someone saying, ‘Thank you, we had a blast.’ Extended family, they’re family, whatever. ‘We had a blast.’”
She also explained how each of her homes has a specific purpose, even if she isn’t there to use them herself.
“People have a blast in my ski chalet—it’s big, it fits a lot of people,” she said. “They go to my beach house; I don’t mean to brag. They come to New York City. Where I live, never an empty bed, and boy, is that satisfying.”
“I mean what really happens is, the more money you have, the less you use your homes,” Corcoran added. “That’s the truth. You sleep there very few nights, and they go to waste. What a shame.”