Have you ever flown First Class?

[DFW]

58. Depends on the route and the airline

If it's a domestic flight, don't bother unless it's something like east coast to Hawaii or Anchorage to Miami. Most American carriers just don't bother to make it special any more, although I've never tried Hawaiian or Virgin America.

If it's overseas on a good foreign carrier, try any trick in the book to get a seat at a reasonable fare. Many airlines have reduced "negotiated fares" for overseas business class trips, which are cheaper than the published fares. They HATE it when travel agents find them for their customers, but if your travel dates are so firm they are carved in stone, then you can sometimes get a great deal if you book far in advance.

I'm platinum for life on Air France, but their miles program sucks. Any time you want to cash the miles in, unless it's Paris to Bulgaria on off-peak hours, they never have space. And just forGET finding a seat on Delta with Air France miles. Their "Sky Team" may exist on paper, but Delta wants nothing to do with Air France miles. Maybe you can find a seat on the Macon to Providence night flight that stops in Chattanooga and Scranton if you book far enough in advance. Maybe.

I haven't flown first class in years. I got an upgrade from Paris to L.A. in 2005. That was the last time on a major route. It was comfortable as could be, and the food was, well, good French food! Way back in the 1980s, when the dollar was stupidly high, I was allowed to take Swissair in First class from Germany to Boston, changing in Zürich. Now THAT was class. Better service and food than anything I'd ever had, including the Concorde.

I've heard that some of the new airlines, especially Etihad and Emirates, have amazing first class service, and I might be tempted to splurge on that if I ever go to Australia. the cost is scary though, and I might chicken out and just go Air France and upgrade.

I did recently go British Airways in Business from London to Dallas and from Chicago to London, and the service was quite adequate. The British Airways business class lounge in Chicago has never-ending food, and is just fabulous--way better than the one in London! Delta eliminated first class on at least some overseas routes, as did Holland's KLM. Delta's Düsseldorf to Atlanta flight, which I used to take when heading to anywhere in the South, only had business class. It was crummy five years ago, is much better now. But when Delta pulled its advertising from the Daily Show, I pulled Delta from my schedule. That is not an easy thing to do if you fly in the South, but I have managed to avoid them so far ever since, and American is still king in Dallas, not that their service is any better than Delta's.

Short version: DON'T waste your money on a domestic first class ticket, and unless it's to Australia or Thailand or someplace FAR away, where sitting like a sardine for 15 hours will cripple you for life, the most I would go for overseas is business class with an overseas airline that still remembers that it's good business sense to show people who spend money on them a good time. If it's for vacation not too far away, save your money and spend it on a fabulous hotel. Keep this in mind: you'll be spending a LOT more time in that hotel than you will in the airplane.