The travel editor of "Elite", a high-end magazine for private jet users, has raised eyebrows by writing a letter lionising the wealthy and blaming "aspirational consumers" for the credit crunch.

Elite's travel editor Doug Allen said in his letter last month: "As we enter 2009, it is amazing to see how the general media has tried to shame wealthy individuals into not spending. The fact of the matter is the economic slump was not caused by the wealthy, it was caused by aspirational consumers who took out bigger mortgages than they could handle, leased cars they couldn't afford and took vacations they shouldn't have."