By Matthew Hersh
An unusual “flight” will soon depart from Nassau Street, but this one won’t ever leave the ground, and the experience could, in fact, be grounding.
Starting May 27 and running through June 7, “Business Class,” an immersive community experience created by Princeton-based facilitator Becky Schutt, is a limited series of two-hour “mock flights,” inviting residents to explore questions of status, empathy, and belonging through guided conversation.
The project grew out of Schutt’s reflections on social life in Princeton, where she began noticing how economic differences could quietly shape community experiences.
“I thought this was supposed to be community building,” Schutt said of local social events that inspired the work. “Instead, you’re creating a class divide.”
Rather than pilot from the tail of the proverbial plane, Schutt transformed her living room into an airplane cabin, seating neighbors in first class, business class, and economy to spark dialogue across perceived social hierarchies.
“I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to invite people over and sit them in an airplane formation?” she said. “When you’re on a flight, you’re crammed together but also reflective. People think about their lives differently. I wanted to recreate that space for conversation.”
The Nassau Street terminal recreates that experience on a larger scale. Participants board a shared “cabin,” complete with drinks service and airline-style rituals, before engaging in structured discussions and storytelling exercises.
Seat assignments are randomized, encouraging participants to confront assumptions about privilege, power, and opportunity.
Local leaders who attended earlier sessions echoed that observation.
“It’s a perfect exercise in these times,” said Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin. “To board a flight with people you don’t know and to check out what happens in real time is a novel idea. You get put into a situation where you’re meeting new people and figuring out who’s who and why you’re being seated in various parts of the plane.”
Newlin described the experience as “incredibly intense” once you’re on the plane because it can take you anywhere as the destination is not pre-determined.
“You don’t know what to expect. When you go anywhere as an individual in society and you feel less than, it takes its toll,” Newlin said. “Give people their space and let people show you who you are. You have to dig deep to have a greater, fiercer understanding of what humanity is. That was my takeaway.”
Schutt, a fellow of the Cambridge Judge Business School, describes the project as both artistic and research-driven. Her 25-year career spans arts leadership, business education, and social-impact programs across six continents, including directing the Venice Biennale Arts Fellowship Program for the British government and co-authoring Dubai’s cultural strategy.
She says “Business Class” is rooted in one central belief: communities cannot solve problems without first building trust.
“Faced with challenges as vast as homelessness, the climate emergency, and war, we often want to jump straight to solutions,” said Schutt. “But too often we skip the crucial work of creating the conditions for people with different beliefs and life experiences to move forward together. That process is transformative in itself.”
Then she quips: “And if we’re going to do that work, why not do it aboard a fake 747 with tiny pretzels and tomato juice?”
Participants are encouraged to engage at their own comfort level while facilitators guide conversations designed to move beyond small talk and social echo chambers.
“Trust building is an outcome unto itself,” Schutt said. “It’s not about listing 10 actions at the end. It’s about creating a space where people can finally say things they wouldn’t normally say.”
Before boarding the “flight,” participants spend nearly an hour in a simulated departure lounge reviewing “safety regulations” for conversation.
One rule reads: “Airplane mode — we commit to being present,” while another reminds passengers, “There will be turbulence.”
“I ask people which rule matters most to them, what’s hardest, and what’s missing,” said Schutt. “Where else in society do we actually know the rules for how to talk to each other?”
The process encourages quieter participants to speak and more vocal ones to listen.
The temporary Nassau Street “airport” space is being provided by Corcoran Sawyer Smith, whose regional leadership sees the project as an investment in community connection.
Flights will depart twice weekly from 195 Nassau Street, No. 10, on a pay-what-you-can, pay-it-forward basis, with stipends available to ensure access for those who might not otherwise attend.
Scheduled “departures” include Wednesday, May 27, 7 to 9 p.m.; Thursday, May 28, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; and Wednesday, June 3, 7 to 9 p.m.
Find more information and make reservations at businessclass.events.