What am I missing? Aren't I expending 95 foot pounds with each lift?
Yay, physics! My turn!
Your work done while walking/running up the down escalator (assuming you actually make it to the top) is actually more than just walking up stairs of the same height, but not because of a transfer of kinetic to potential energy. It's because you're moving your limbs at a faster rate to compensate against the escalator's direction.
Similarly, using a Stairmaster expends energy, but not in the same way as actually walking/running up stationary stairs. You're lifting your body against gravity by a few inches, then lowered in between steps as the stairmaster moves. Most energy expended is due to the rotating motion of your limbs, not working against gravity.
Inclined treadmills as compared to walking uphill is also the same theory. It's the movement of your limbs that burns the majority of the calories. The caloric burn rate can't even be compared to running on flat ground, since the only calories burned doing that are due to your body accelerating its mass to a certain speed, and rotating limb movement.
Think of any exercise where your body doesn't change its position in a room, as similar to running in place. Your body is expending energy by moving, but your overall position doesn't change. You're not moving the whole
system, just certain parts with the system.
Combine that with the unusual design of an inclined treadmill, fooling your body into putting extra force in order to walk up a hill that isn't really there, is quite detrimental to your body. It puts unneeded strain on your ankles and metatarsals.
TL;DR (Here's the conclusion): putting aside the energy expended by basically "moving in place", you're not burning any calories unless you're changing your
vertical position relative to the earth, because it's earth's gravitational forces you're working against. And if you're on that dreamliner at 36,000 feet, and it's assumed to be traveling at a constant velocity, with no acceleration, it's no different that exercising on solid ground.
Enjoy. ^_^