system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Mass Effect] How much would it cost the average human Earth citizen to take a vacation to the Citadel? What would travel look like?

I've always wondered how civilian transport/commercial starliners work in the Milky Way, and what the likelihood of an average Earth Human getting to see the citadel in their lifetimes. Are there space-equivalent airline companies offering routine flights from the earth to the citadel? Would an average citizen have to spend an exorbitant amount of money on a ticket or are they relatively affordable?
gpt
There are dedicated starliner companies, yes. They work just like airliners for the most part. You book a ticket, get a spot on the transport, and off you go. Roman Basee, a Martian, had to rebook their trip once because increased security at relays caused days of delays to commercial traffic.

Given the technology available, trips from major hubs to other major hubs are relatively easy. From Earth you just have to go to Charon, which is ~235 light minutes from Earth. Even a civilian transport will manage that in a few minutes. From there it's a jump to Arcturus, then a straight shot from Arcturus to Widow and the Citadel. You'll honestly probably spend more time waiting in customs than actually flying. As a result the flights are pretty cheap and accessible to most, though it's probably not a trip the average person will want to take every year. But for things like milestone birthdays, honeymoons, retirements, or whatever, a trip to the Citadel is totally affordable for most people.

Smaller or more remote locations, like those outside systems with relays, would be the more expensive ones. Those trips could take a day or more, so you'd be paying for all that extra fuel and crew labour.