“Why Are the Seats Different If We’re the Ones Building It?” — The Quiet Gap I Felt on a Flight to London

I Was Already Excited Just to Be “Not in Economy”

Whoa… even in the sky, there are “corporate classes”?
That was the thought that crossed my mind.

It was my eighth year after joining the company.
I was on a flight to London.

The reason was a training program for a financial system that our customer was introducing from London.
At that time, just hearing the phrase “overseas financial system” felt like entering another world.

And it was London.
A place I had only seen in movies.

But what surprised me even more was the airplane itself.

Even Premium Economy Felt Like a Different World

The Hitachi members were seated in Premium Economy.

Honestly, at that moment, I was already impressed enough.

“Wait, the seats are huge!”
“I can stretch my legs!”
“The blankets are different!”

To begin with, I barely knew anything beyond Economy Class.
The idea that airplanes had “ranks” didn’t even feel real to me.

Which made Business Class seem almost like another universe.

What Is a Lounge?

At the airport, the customer-side members started walking in a completely different direction.

“We’ll use the lounge first.”

The lounge?
What’s that?

And on top of that, the customers were flying Business Class.
Different route.
Different boarding process.
Different space.

Same project.
Same destination: London.
But completely different travel worlds.

At that moment, a thought quietly crossed my mind.

“Wait… is this because we’re the vendor?”

If We’re the Technical Experts, Why Is the Position Different?

There was also a server infrastructure engineer in his 40s on that trip.

A veteran who had supported financial systems for years.
In terms of experience, he was probably on the same level as the customer’s department manager.

System failures.
Late-night incidents.
Performance optimization.
Operations and maintenance.

He knew the field inside out.

And yet, he was sitting in Premium Economy with me.

That was when a strange feeling emerged inside me.

“So airline class isn’t decided by the individual… it’s decided by the company.”

I Thought Builders Were Supposed to Be Stronger

Since I was young, I always thought system engineers were cool.

Running massive systems.
Supporting social infrastructure.
Keeping financial systems alive.

I deeply admired people who could build things like that.

So somewhere in my mind, I believed this:

“The people who build the systems are the strong ones.”

But reality felt slightly different.

The customer side seemed to hold the higher position.
Better treatment.
Different travel standards.
Probably different salaries too.

Of course, intellectually, I understood it.

The contract structure is different.
The responsibilities are different.
The profit models between clients and vendors are different.

Logically, it made sense.

But emotionally, I couldn’t fully process it yet.

Does Your “Company” Define Your Rank?

During the flight to London, I kept thinking about it.

Does a person’s “rank” really change based on the company they belong to?

Even if they are equally skilled engineers.
Even if they work on the same project.
Even if they support society in the same way.

Does the company name change how people are viewed?

And then I thought even deeper.

What should engineers really aim for?

Joining a large company?
Moving to the client side?
Becoming management?
Or building personal value beyond organizational boundaries?

What I Saw in London Was the Structure of the IT Industry

Looking back now, that business trip was more than just overseas training.

It was the first time I truly experienced the “structure” of the IT industry.

In Japan’s SI industry, there are moments when
“what position you hold in the contract structure”
matters more than
“who actually builds the system.”

This isn’t about good or bad.

But it is a reality that younger engineers should understand early.

Technology alone doesn’t decide everything.
Your company alone doesn’t decide everything.
Your title alone doesn’t decide everything either.

That’s exactly why building your own value matters.

I still remember that slight discomfort I felt on the flight to London.

But because I felt that discomfort,
I eventually started thinking about the intersection of
“technology + business + structure.”

That uneasy feeling from back then shaped who I am today.

I can do this! Tomorrow, I will take the first step forward.