On top of that, I think that people that have the means to pay around $ 60,000 for an expedition and $ 11,000 for a permit (not to mention the climbing gear etc.) should not get in great financial trouble when they have to pay an extra $ 2,000. I don't think there are any more Doug Hansens out there...

Tal explained charter flights and tourist entitlement mindset perfectly.

In addition, airlines are businesses (just like Everest expedition operators) and they (and their employees) took a big hit over the last year with shutdowns, cancelled flights and travel down generally. All are losing money, so the last thing they should be doing is subsidizing the return travel of these tourists by one-way charter flights.

All the talk about mountaineers being risk-takers? Well they have just learned that risks are not only on the mountain. And recall they were so upbeat when they were still enjoying Everest, and spouting the rationale (excuse) that they needed to go to help Nepalis who haven't had any income for the last year? So now they should be pleased that their enforced stay in Kathmandu is helping those tourist-starved hotels and all their employees!

Pandemic repatriation charter flights were very much more expensive than that last year, for many expatriates stuck in various countries around the world.

These flights generally cost more because fewer people are in them, and the plane may have to fly out empty, in order to pick people up. It's not rocket science!

It was the 'Johnsons' choice to persevere with an expedition in 2021, fifteen months into a pandemic. If they weren't financially and mentally prepared to expect the unexpected, they should have stayed at home.