Have you seen the layout for the Dubai flights? YOU GET TO LAY DOWN AND SLEEP. When I think of that city, I like to forget all the slavery and remember the seats that convert into a bed. A BED, I TELL YOU!

I also think First Class rules for people who travel and "don't belong" in First Class. Back when my boss had the equivalent to my job, he told me about how people would gasp at him as the flight attendant hung up his shabby flannel jacket. I'm sure his Bad Religion tees sat well with the older business crowd as well. =D

First or business class for long flights, especially redeyes, is great. For a two hour flight -- waste o' money.

I've only made it as far up as business class and wow, what a difference. I imagine first class makes business class look like a holding pen. I relish the day I may be able to afford first class because the comfort on a super long flight is probably worth it. I spent a 9 hour flight to Europe next to a large person and in front of people who talked extremely loudly for a really long time.

@William Brinkman: I'm pretty sure some of that is relaxed now but I know biz and first class has pretty stringent dress codes. You can't show up in Bermuda shorts and expect to be let into first class without grumbles. You were (I flew biz class in the 90s when I was a kid) expected to wear pants other than jeans and no shorts. Skirts were fine but who wants to wear a skirt whilst traveling? I remember my mom telling me what I needed to go pick out for the trip.

I want to see a study(not paid for by an airline) of the performance of people who travel first class or business class vs. those who traveled cattle class. I suspect that the thin dry air will have far more impact than having a nice seat and warm towel.
I keep hearing government people justify the expense saying that their "performance" will be affected if they don't spend triple the money.

I hate to be "that guy", but are the 42% of you that believe first class is for jerks only just bitter that you aren't flying first class?

There are some people (thank god I'm not one of them) that fly 2, 3, 4 times per week. Why would I begrudge these people their first class seats? They have earned them. Same goes for people that have the $ (expense account or otherwise) to get a better seat.

I have never flown first class, even for my company, which sets the rule that we are always to take the lowest airfare. Doesn't mean I should be bitter to those that get the cushy seats.

@pecan 3.14159265: Your username caused me much geek joy.

More on subject. I have never flown anything but coach :|

Remember those stories about how you can frame a question and the choices to get users to choose what you want them to choose? This is exactly one of those polls.

Necessary?!?! Many things aren't necessary (i.e. cable TV, eating out, nice cars, nice clothing, movies, etc.), but that doesn't mean they're not worth it or something you'd like to do only every once in awhile.

First class air travel is expensive, but so is eating at a 5-star restaurant or staying at a 5-star hotel. Not necessary, but if I have the cash, I wouldn't mind pampering myself every once in awhile.

I'm not even sure what the purpose of this poll is for...

@pecan 3.14159265: It all depends if you're rev or non-rev. Things may have been different in the 90s, but I don't think Delta/NW or United (the only two programs which which I am familiar) have had a dress code for rev customers for the last few years. Plus, being tier 2 and pushing tier 3 status gets you a lot of leeway.

Anyway, part of the fun is sticking it to the man. ;)

I fly dozens of planes every year (my family has a thing for vacations) and though I'm not a high maintenance kid I would not be able to sit straight up for 14 hours. I enjoy lying down and getting a great sleep, and then eat food that doesn't taste like it's been dropped on the floor several times.

@pecan 3.14159265:

While that may be true if you're trying to finagle a gate upgrade, if you have a paid biz or first class ticket, you can wear pretty much whatever you darn well please. I showed up for a flight to Asia in a violent femmes t-shirt, ratty jeans, and a backward baseball hat - after the initial double-take on looking at my first class boarding pass, they didn't bat an eye the rest of the flight.

@pecan 3.14159265:

First is definitely nicer that business, but the incremental benefit is much much smaller than coach to business, which is night and day.

@Hands: Agree anything below 6 hours shouldn't really need first class. At the same time when I was flying from Toronto to Mexico with my school we got on a plane that was "all first class" which didn't really make sense to me .

@William Brinkman: I don't know what plane it was but I remember sitting (sleeping?) on those 2 years ago with Air Canada. They're much more comfortable, and the service was great.

@ipodrulz: I have to say though, that the coach food on a lufthansa flight is extremely yummy. Little sandwich, cheese wedge, fruit, a little candy bar and a roll.

@NeverLetMeDown: I think my Mom just wanted me to dress up a little in case I thought about using the extra seats as a playground. When you're 8 everything looks like it needs investigating. I guess she thought if I was dressed "like a grownup" I be quieter.

I travel first class at times. Not every time, no... but I always check the cost difference. I've seen the difference in coach and first class be as little as $100, which to me, is worth upgrading. Oh, and that $100 included the return trip as well.

Flying is a nightmare nowadays, with fees out the !@#$ and horrible, inconvenient trips and annoyances thanks mostly due to "security" and the TSA. Sometimes the extra money and perks make up for it (e.g. luggage fees included with first class, the lounge). I used to love flying, but dread it nowadays. First class (or business class) is the only thing that can make it palatable at times.

Still, it all comes down to costs. If I'm going to be stuck in a tiny seat in a giant flying can with no mobility I can at least try to do it comfortably.

@atarisuicide: I see people in first class, and ask myself about some of them, how can that slob afford first class?

We must all remember that it's the price of the first class tickets that subsidize low airfare for the rest of us.

Anything to stay away from crying babies, overweight people who spill over into my 10" seat and obnoxious families with the everything and the kitchen sink as carry-on going to disneyland. And with a seat that small, it doesn't take to much to be overweight.

@atarisuicide: Not exactly. It's more like we're pissed off that the airlines are so committed to making first class passengers feel all special that they make the conditions in coach miserable. Expense accounts be damned, we need vice presidential level signoff on ticket upgrades, and we also care about the bottom line... really.

@Preyfar: 100 dollar difference? I wish. I ask every time I book a long-haul flight, and the company's travel agent checks, and the difference is frequently more than 1000 dollars. I could actually request an upgrade for flights over ten hours, but it's not worth getting the mandatory VP's signature. These days, who wants to call management's attention to themselves for being a big corporate spender?

I haven't flown in at least five years, nor have I flown first class in at least ten. That said . . .

When travelling internationally, as a former job of mine required, first class, or at least business class, was a big improvement over coach. It is bad enough that you would land in Europe or Asia worn out from the trip, but if you had to sit in the requisite hard-upright cramped position of coach class for eight to twenty-four hours, it turned an annoyance into sheer hell.

. . . and yes, I did travel both classes while on that job.

That said, for short flights, it makes no sense.

I wanted also to add that if you are travelling by train, it can make sense, even for shorter trips. Leaving from Schenectady or Rensselaer, NY (near Albany) for New York City, the trip is about 2-3 hours by AmTrak. While the extra legroom is not so important (there is plenty in coach), it is kind of nice to have a place to plug in your laptop, especially since a cellular aircard will give you good Internet service for most of the trip (with a couple of dead spots near Newburgh). Coach class on the train is also very quiet, which is helpful before finding yourself deposited in the busiest rail station in North America (Penn Station in NYC).

If I had the money I would fly first class everytime I flew even for short domestic flights. Nothing better than when they close the curtains separating you from the riff-raff in the back.

I dont get free upgrades to first class anymore and I"m not rich so its Southwest Airlines for me most of the time.

I flew first class on a long-haul flight once. It was fantastic. And ridiculous. Fantastic were the giant seats. Ridiculous was the unending pampering. Following dinner (some delectable shrimp thing), they went down the aisle custom-making sundaes for everybody.

i seldom travel, like once a year at tops. but when i do its first class all they way baby!!

same goes for vacations, oceanview suits! an example would be my recent trip to Cuba. it cost me $80 bucks per person per flight to upgrade to first class

well worth every penny!

It is strange that the airlines are reducing their FC seats at the same time that so many people have to fly commercial again after having to give up their PJs. It is especially frustrating for loyal customers like me who can't use their free upgrades because the remaining FC seats are filled with paying customers. Favorite FC experience: Singapore Airlines flatbeds with silk sheets! (EWR-AMS, paid with FF miles).

@speedwell, avatar of snark: hey, i pay a pretty penny for that pampering. its not like i was the airlines 100th customer or something.

i paid MONEY that i earned for my upgrade

@atarisuicide:

I NEVER took 1st Class...then I finally started making a little money after 14 years of education.

So I tried it out a couple of times when they offered it at the last minute for a cheap upgrade fee. It was stellar!

It's worth the pampering every once in a while.

I've only say in business class. It's fine and worth every penny. Anytime you can get a little extra service with a smile and a little more legroom is fine with me. If I could ever afford first class (never), I'd take that too, at least once in my life time. The rest will be sitting in business class or something in between business and coach class (such as Eva's Deluxe Class).

Growing up, I spent what feels like entire summers in first/business class and United Red Carpet Clubs between jetsetting adventures with a wealthy aunt. It was pretty damn sweet, especially since we were going to be spending a lot of time in the air and in airport lounges no matter how classy or classless they were. But to be honest, I could NEVER justify that lifestyle now that I'm (mostly) grown up unless it was a flight halfway around the world or a 23 hour layover in an extremely sketchy airport... and even then I'd have some major reservations over shelling out so much dough for airline travel.

(Do they even have Red Carpet Clubs anymore?)

First class seats and the accompanying treatment is how ALL seats should be on a plane.
Why is it that just because we sit in "coach class" that it's okay to be treated like a refugee from a third-world country (even though we've paid $500 for our ticket)? Coach class is a joke.
I'm not saying that First Class is a good value, because it isn't. I'm just saying that air travel is an industry that has basically imploded on itself, and is now simply unable to provide basic customer service.

@krunk4ever: Did you hear a whooshing sound above your head there?

@techstar25: Why is it that on an airplane people have to pay a premium First Class price to get the same level of service that would be considered sub-standard at a damn Applebees?

I've only ever flown First Class once years and years ago. It was on an international flight for a family vacation. Flight was overbooked and my dad happened to be in the elite frequent flier plan. So our entire family got the upgrade to First.

Maybe it was just that I was used to the coach treatment but I felt a little ridiculous. I mean, being greeted by name (instead of your seat number) and offered champagne just felt totally alien. The seats were so far apart I couldn't even touch the seat in front with the tip of my toes and so wide I could barely hold a conversation with my brother in the next seat. Heck, they even laid a tablecloth on my tray table and served me food on real dishes. I just couldn't believe it was the same plane.

Having experienced it once, while it was really nice, I really couldn't imagine actually paying for a ticket at those prices.

For those long haul international flights, I definitely think business is the way to go though. The difference between business and first... I'd rather pocket the difference and spend it on a couple of nights at a really nice hotel and eat at some really nice restaurants at my destination.

I'm going to re-iterate what many people have already said : there's really nothing wrong with first class if you can afford it. I've never flown first class, but I wish I could have afforded it when we went to France. Those are some long flights, and nice, big first class seats would have made them more bearable.

Having said that, we opted for the first class train tickets when we traveled on the high speed rail. It's not the same as first class airfare, you get bigger seats, but there's no "pampering" that comes along with it. But, it was definitely worth the extra expense (which really wasn't all that much).

@pecan 3.14159265:

I've never flown first class, but it's on my bucket list. Just once. With all the trimmings!

@atarisuicide: I agree, it's not that the people who fly it are jerks. I the the business model that says that anyone who didn't pay for an insanely expensive ticket deserves crippling seats and downright rude service was created by a bunch of jerks. I like the post above about a plane that is all first class. If long distance (6 hours or more) flights were better for everyone maybe they'd sell more tickets.

@atarisuicide: Any reason why ALL the seats cannot be nice and comfortable?

@Hands: It's more than just in-flight comfort. If you have a first class ticket, you have a much better chance of getting on a flight no matter how badly it's overbooked or of getting a prompt rebooking when your flight is cancelled. My father was on the road a lot--he flew enough that the ticket agents at several airports knew him by name and would bump folks out of first class so he could get a seat--and he always valued flying first class because he had enough room to get work done.

I fly JetBlue whenever possible. I get my TV and my leg room and there is no first class. Win all around!

(Although on international flights I can see wanting it. The six hours between US coasts is juuuuuuust about my tolerance for a standard airplane... I've been to Europe from Boston in coach and it was barely tolerable. If I were flying as far as Australia or China?)

I've had the fortune to be in Continental's "Business First" on flights between Newark and Mumbai. A haul of that length and duration (~17hrs) makes the extra room absolutely worthwhile. The doting service isn't bad either. It's to the point now that I would ask for two adjacent seats if I had to fly coach, just so I could feel like I had enough space to sleep comfortably.

I've also been upgraded on flights from Newark/New York to Cleveland, Chicago or Pittsburgh. You're barely in the air for an hour, and short of priority boarding and a free cup of booze it's not worth it.

I'd say the four-hour mark is a good threshold for me. Anything shorter and you aren't going to have enough time to make use of the perks. Instead, I'd make sure I have access to the airline's lounge area. The price of admission is almost always worth it.

I've flown first class internationally a couple of times and flown internationally without first class. I don't make a lot of money, but it was worth saving my pennies and planning ahead to be able to fly first class. I might consider it domestically for flying coast to coast, but it's hard to justify the cost unless you're really getting your money's worth.

BTW, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that the percentage of jerks in coach is roughly the same as in first class. The conditions in coach seem to bring it out of people. Conversely, the folks traveling up front seem to be a lot more calm and respectful to each other. Which is obviously easier when you aren't folded up into a pretzel and shoved into a center seat. Coach should definitely be more comfortable. Heck, it's what I fly 99% of the time. But that doesn't mean that people trying to avoid coach are all jerks.

@LegoMan322: People can not afford to fly like that and it would temporarily cripple our economy. That's why. Hurrrrrrrrrrrrr.

@s35flyer: Every last bit of what you said. I flew coach cross country a few times and it is hellishly miserable.
I have not flown first class since I was a kid but I always look at it as an option if I can get an upgrade or somehow have the dough to pay for it.
I can imagine doing a transatlantic flight in the crammed coach seats like Delta has.

@Hank Scorpio: A month or two ago, saying that there was nothing wrong with spending extra money on this site would get you hung ;)

I occasionally fly first/business class on long haul flights. Yes, the bigger seats and more room is really nice. But the thing that chaps my ass is the different attitude that one encounters. Case in point: When the plane is landing and you haven't yet pulled your seat into the "upright and locked" position, the attendants up front will stop by your seat, smile and say "Sir, would you please pull you're seat up, we're about to land". Back in cattle-car class, they walk by and smack your seat on the back and bark at you. I'm sure that they're under orders to talk extra-nicely to the people up front, but a nicer attitude and a little politeness in the back doesn't cost them a cent. Pay attention next time you fly and see if you don't notice a complete difference in attitude and friendliness between the cabins.

@pecan 3.14159265: That's pretty much what I got flying first class on American...I feel gypped now. Those "fresh roasted" nuts were sooooo not worth it.

@LegoMan322: It's not as profitable.

I live in Europe and I fly various family members over to visit a few times a year. I always try to get them business if not first.

But I never fly first or business myself. I can sleep in any position and I'm usually unconscious five minutes after wheels-up.