Is First Class Worth It? Here’s How To Decide

Is First Class Worth It? Here’s How To Decide

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Over the past decade we’ve seen airlines in the United States do a better job of monetizing first class. Back in the day, first class would be outrageously expensive. Most seats wouldn’t be sold, but rather would go to people upgrading. Nowadays the percentage of first class seats outright paid for continues to increase, as airlines often decrease the price difference between economy and first class.

In this post I wanted to share my take on when first class is worth it — how much extra am I willing to pay for a first class seat, and how do I decide whether to try to upgrade or pay outright?

What are the benefits of flying first class?

First it’s probably worth sharing a bit of background, so we’re all on the same page. This post is dedicated to your run of the mill domestic first class experience within the United States — we’re not talking about Emirates’ A380 first class with shower suites.

While there’s still significant variance, in general you can expect that a domestic first class ticket includes the following:

  • A seat that is significantly wider and has more legroom — you can expect a wider seat with more shoulder space, and several extra inches of seat pitch, so you can stretch out more easily
  • Free alcohol onboard, and depending on the length of the flight, something to eat
  • Priority check-in, priority security, priority boarding, and priority deplaning
  • Free checked bags
  • More miles or points toward elite qualification, should you be going for airline status
  • Generally speaking domestic first class tickets don’t include lounge access — there are exceptions, like some paid first class tickets on Alaska, or select premium routes on American
Don’t get too excited about domestic first class food

One thing to be on the lookout for is that sometimes airlines fly wide body aircraft with fully flat beds on domestic routes, so it could be worth going out of your way (or paying a premium) for these flights. See my post about the best domestic first class flights.

After all, a fully flat bed with direct aisle access…

American’s 777 business class

…looks significantly better than your standard domestic first class seat.

American’s 737 first class

How much do I value first class?

Personally, I conservatively value being in first class over economy at $50 per hour (an hour generally equates to roughly 500 flown miles, if you want to look at it based on distance). There are obviously a lot of variables, but for me that seems like a fair number, and a good starting point for crunching numbers.

I derive value from first class for two simple reasons — the ability to be productive and comfortable. With high speed Wi-Fi increasingly becoming standard on flights, I can be every bit as productive in the air as on the ground. And while domestic first class is hardly anything to get excited about, it is a comfortable place from which to work, and can double as an office.

The extra space goes a long way in first class

Could I work in economy if I had to? Of course. However, it’s quite uncomfortable, and between the lack of privacy (even with a privacy screen someone is usually staring at my screen), the general lack of shoulder space (I have to angle my arms uncomfortably to make it work), and someone potentially reclining significantly into my space, it’s just not a pleasant experience. I’m getting old(er). Bones that I didn’t know existed have started to hurt, and if I can avoid this experience at a reasonable cost, then I do.

It’s harder to get work done in these seats

For me domestic first class is purely about the space. Some might appreciate the food or drinks, but the food is rarely good, and I’m not really looking to get drunk “just because” (well, unless I’m flying international first class on a top airline, in which case that’s a good enough occasion for me).

How do I decide whether to pay for first class?

American Airlines is the airline I fly most (given that I live in Miami), and I have Executive Platinum status in the AAdvantage program. In theory that entitles me to unlimited domestic upgrades, but that’s subject to availability. Sometimes those upgrades clear easily, while other times they don’t — increasingly I’m finding they don’t, as American is allegedly selling 80% of domestic first class seats.

How do I go about deciding whether to pay for first class, or chance it with an upgrade?

First of all, I analyze the odds of my upgrade clearing:

  • How many first class seats are left for sale at the time of booking? If first class is mostly booked way in advance, it’s unlikely that many upgrades will clear, and on top of that, not all planes have the same ratio of first class seats to economy class seats
  • How competitive are upgrades in a market? Generally a Dallas to Los Angeles upgrade will be more competitive than a Nashville to Tampa upgrade
  • How many extra legroom economy and exit row seats are occupied at the time of booking? This is generally a good indication of how many other elites are on the flight, since they can generally assign these seats in advance
  • Is there a way to confirm an upgrade in advance, like with a systemwide upgrade, with American AAdvantage miles, etc.?

Then I also often apply a discount to the fare difference. For example, say I’m looking at an American Airlines ticket, and the fare difference between economy and first class is $200:

  • As an Executive Platinum member I earn 11x AAdvantage miles per dollar spent, and I value those miles at 1.5 cents each; to me that’s an incremental 16.5% return on spending
  • If I pay with my Amex Platinum I earn 5x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent, and I value those at 1.7 cents each; to me that’s an incremental 8.5% return on spending

Between those two factors, I’m getting a 25% return on my spending. That lowers my real “out of pocket” from $200 to $150.

Beyond those considerations, I make decisions on a case-by-case basis. In other words, if I value first class at $50 extra per hour, and if I think I have a 50% chance of an upgrade clearing, I might be willing to pay an extra $25 per hour of flying to outright pay for first class.

I consider several factors when deciding whether to pay for first class

Some examples of deciding between fares

In general I find that Delta does the best job with its first class pricing, at least based on my willingness to pay. With Delta more often than not I find that first class pricing is right at the breakeven point based on my math.

I don’t have status with Delta, so if I want to fly first class, I have to pay. Take a Miami to Boston flight on Delta for example, where (non-basic) economy class costs $127, and first class costs $327.

Comparing Delta Air Lines fare options

Would I pay an extra $200 to essentially sit in a first class seat for well over three hours? Probably, especially when you consider that I really only view this as costing ~$170, after factoring in the value of the incremental miles I’d be earning. That’s right around $50 per hour.

For a similar yet slightly different example, let’s take a Tampa to Chicago flight on American, where (non-basic) economy costs $169, and first class costs $418.

Comparing American Airlines fare options

Would I pay an extra $249 to essentially sit in a first class seat for roughly three hours? Keep in mind that I apply a 25% discount to that difference (to account for the 11x AAdvantage miles and 5x Membership Rewards points I’d earn), so that really only costs me an extra ~$187.

On the surface the math isn’t that different than the Delta example above — the flight is slightly shorter and the upgrade is slightly more expensive. The major consideration here is that I actually have good odds of clearing an upgrade on American given my higher status, unlike on Delta. So in this case I’d probably pay for economy and hope for the best.

For a last example, let’s take a look at a Miami to Houston to Puerto Vallarta itinerary on United, where (non-basic) economy costs $268, and first class costs $498.

Comparing United Airlines fare options

Would I pay an extra $230 to essentially sit in a first class seat for roughly six hours? I’d first apply a discount to account for the miles I’d earn, so it’s really costing me under $200. Is that worth it for roughly six hours in first class? Absolutely, this one is a no-brainer.

At least that’s how I approach these situations based on my specific circumstances — for others, I think it’s worth considering whether you have status more generally, and what value that gets you. In some cases elite status may already get you free checked bags, extra legroom economy seating, priority boarding, etc., in which case that reduces the incremental value of first class.

Conversely, if you don’t have status and know you’re going to be checking two bags, you can subtract the cost of that from the price difference. You could also factor in if you’d otherwise pay for extra legroom economy seats, priority boarding, etc.

Bottom line

Everyone values first class differently, so there’s no consistent formula for calculating how much of a premium it’s worth paying, especially given how many variables there are.

Personally I value first class at ~$50 per hour over economy, and that’s largely because I can work productively in first class, while it’s a struggle in economy. That doesn’t even account for such things as generally being comfortable, getting a meal and free drinks, earning bonus elite qualifying miles, etc.

When deciding what to book, I also factor in my upgrade chances, as well as the miles I’m earning for the difference in fare, since I view that as a discount.

Under what circumstances do you consider paying for first class?

Conversations (22)
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  1. Jinxed_K Guest

    Not having status or a branded credit card with most carriers that gives X free checked bags, that usually goes into my consideration as well.
    Positioning flight I took recently was approx $200 economy + $70 for two checked bags or $320 for domestic First with two free checked bags. In this case, I saw this upgrade as $50 so I ended up taking it. If I didn't have checked bags, I would have thought on it some more.

  2. Davisson Guest

    Apple Vision Pro allows you to work without others looking at your screen!!

    1. AD Diamond

      sure... if you want to show off your $3500 AR kit in economy. Don't worry, you won't look like a pretentious tool.

  3. Motion to Dismiss Gold

    I know many don’t have the same preferences I do, but I book J/F no matter what. Even though domestic first class is not glamorous, it is generally far better than economy. Being able to deplane quickly and not be as worried about space for my bags is worth it to me.

    I generally seek out widebodies where possible, but I’ve noticed that the service is often worse. The reason? The flight attendants have...

    I know many don’t have the same preferences I do, but I book J/F no matter what. Even though domestic first class is not glamorous, it is generally far better than economy. Being able to deplane quickly and not be as worried about space for my bags is worth it to me.

    I generally seek out widebodies where possible, but I’ve noticed that the service is often worse. The reason? The flight attendants have so many more people to serve and so the service is slower to get started and less frequent.

  4. DenB Diamond

    Variable missing above: how often one flies.
    Variable missing above: flying solo, with friend, with work colleague, with kids, with lover.
    Variable missing above: balances in loyalty accounts/time to empty (ie is one rich with points).
    Variable missing above: balances in bank/time to empty (ie is one wealthy).

    Ben's process is highly informative and IMO thoughtfully adapted to his life. But tweak one or more of these variables and his choices might...

    Variable missing above: how often one flies.
    Variable missing above: flying solo, with friend, with work colleague, with kids, with lover.
    Variable missing above: balances in loyalty accounts/time to empty (ie is one rich with points).
    Variable missing above: balances in bank/time to empty (ie is one wealthy).

    Ben's process is highly informative and IMO thoughtfully adapted to his life. But tweak one or more of these variables and his choices might easily change.

    I travel 1/984th as much as Ben. I would accept economy travel only in very rare circumstances. I'll always accept economy YTZ-YUL because it saves me using YYZ, saving me 90 mins. But ex-YYZ, I won't fly Y.

    I'd rather work harder to accumulate more points, so like a rich person, I can pay too much and not care.

  5. D3kingg Guest

    I’m amused when a flight from LAX to DFW is operated by a 772 and there are 80 upgrade requests. Everyone wants to fly the 777 for a 2:20 hr flight. I guess if you’re from a place like Topeka , KS then it would be a big deal.

    1. AD Diamond

      @D3kingg, these days people are added to the upgrade list automatically if they're eligible. I suspect there are many low tier elites with credit cards at the bottom of that list who aren't even aware they're on the list.

  6. Aaron Guest

    Great post. My policy is premium economy/extra legroom (I get DL Comfort via Platinum status) on flights under three hours, but anything 3+ I really try to be in first. On a related note, if I didn’t get Comfort seats via status on DL I would probably not pay for them given the insane premium they charge on some flights. I’d be interested to see a post on that topic too, comparing DL/UA/AA extra legroom vs regular economy fares.

  7. Joe Guest

    This is interesting. I think my revealed “per hour” I’d pay is less. Maybe more like 30-40 at the most which, despite seeming like a small difference l, actually adds up and makes your examples less attractive to me. I also just wouldn’t consider it under 2 hours. I'll grab first if it’s a great deal. Otherwise I’ll take an exit row or aisle main cabin extra. If I can’t get one of those seats...

    This is interesting. I think my revealed “per hour” I’d pay is less. Maybe more like 30-40 at the most which, despite seeming like a small difference l, actually adds up and makes your examples less attractive to me. I also just wouldn’t consider it under 2 hours. I'll grab first if it’s a great deal. Otherwise I’ll take an exit row or aisle main cabin extra. If I can’t get one of those seats and first class isn’t good enough value I’ll book another flight if I can. Ending up in a “normal” seat is a pretty dire outcome these days unless the flight is super short.

  8. Troy Guest

    Ben-
    Great article.. for domestic travel, I think I would consider what services you ACTUALLY receive in first class on average.. these would increase or decrease the value I receive when paying the fare..
    (1) are the meals - when served - actually edible (my opinion, DL probably wins currently, UA and AA less so)
    (2) are preflight beverages actually offered (my opinion, DL probably wins this, UA at bottom)?
    (3)...

    Ben-
    Great article.. for domestic travel, I think I would consider what services you ACTUALLY receive in first class on average.. these would increase or decrease the value I receive when paying the fare..
    (1) are the meals - when served - actually edible (my opinion, DL probably wins currently, UA and AA less so)
    (2) are preflight beverages actually offered (my opinion, DL probably wins this, UA at bottom)?
    (3) are flight attendants proactively in the cabin during the flight and are they friendly and approachable - do they actually like their job? (I know this is person to person, flight to flight.. but UA and AA with flight attendants rightfully wanting new contracts currently, are they actually slowing down service and being less attentive until this occurs?? This would devalue my experience.)
    tk

  9. Michael Guest

    George
    I agree with you completely
    However, I have over the years cleaned my own gutters and while not in a suit and tie, far nicer than the way many people dress to travel these days.

    -m

  10. fatty380 Member

    I looked at my hometown airport to Europe. I require 1 stop from my small town airport so not much options but economy fare usually $800-1100, but huge jump from Y to premium economy (around $1800-2200) while J is only $2700-3000.

    How you decide to pay for Y, Y+, or J for TATL flight? Some friends say it's stupid to pay premium fare from east coast to Europe

  11. Calvin Guest

    I’m from Europe so it’s definitely a huge difference here with short-haul Business vs. Economy here. There’s no better seat, just an empty middle seat and some food and drinks as the difference to economy.

    So for Europe flights a Seat in the Exit Row is actually nicer with more legroom than business. If one would write the same post for Intra-Europe my personal conclusion would be that one has to take a look at...

    I’m from Europe so it’s definitely a huge difference here with short-haul Business vs. Economy here. There’s no better seat, just an empty middle seat and some food and drinks as the difference to economy.

    So for Europe flights a Seat in the Exit Row is actually nicer with more legroom than business. If one would write the same post for Intra-Europe my personal conclusion would be that one has to take a look at the price difference between Eco + Exit Row Seat vs. Business. And as an exit row seat is in most cases for free with status there’s no reason to even consider paying for business.

    In most cases no one is willing to pay for the exit row seats so you sometimes have the whole row for yourself which is even better than business.

  12. George Romey Guest

    With the days of a middle empty seat well gone and airlines offering paid upgrades for the most part it's a no brainer to me. As I get older the less I want to rub shoulders with a public that is increasing seemingly unbathed and slovenly. The number of people that show up for a flight looking like they are about to clean their gutters astounds me. There are times when the paid upgrade is...

    With the days of a middle empty seat well gone and airlines offering paid upgrades for the most part it's a no brainer to me. As I get older the less I want to rub shoulders with a public that is increasing seemingly unbathed and slovenly. The number of people that show up for a flight looking like they are about to clean their gutters astounds me. There are times when the paid upgrade is out of reach and common sense to me (right now my LAX/MIA 321neo flight where paid upgrade is going for over $1K-might come down quite a bit though near departure) so I play the upgrade lottery.

    1. Redacted Guest

      How pretentious. Maybe those “slovenly” people have been up since 3 AM on a series of connecting flights and didn’t have the luxury of showering before heading off to the airport. Or any other number of factors. Talk about #FirstWorldProblems.

    2. Harry Guest

      Then get up at 2:30 and take a bath. No excuse for offending others by your smell. George is right on and it's getting worse. People just don't care and from your comments you're in that group.

    3. George Romey Guest

      I've gone into airport bathrooms and into a stall to change some of my clothes, put on deodorant, brush my teeth, wash my face, dab on some lotion to look presentable when I don't have a lounge with a shower. It can be done. When I see unlaundered clothes, dirty hair and skin, obese body parts spilling out everywhere and children that are little monsters that's far more than "I just got off a redeye flight." My mother called it trailer park trash.

    4. tda1986 Diamond

      I've never noticed any personal hygiene issues while flying. Maybe I'm lucky? Occasionally, I'll see someone who is not dressed in a manner I'd ever be seen outside the house, but I don't see how that affects me at all. I'm mostly concerned with the substantial deterioration in the behavior of fellow passengers, which is not limited to "trailer park trash."

    5. Redacted Guest

      Well said, tda1986. And those are the passengers who can actually jeopardize your travels by interfering with flight crew, etc.

    6. Redacted Guest

      That’s simple enough if you’re living independently with no kids/pets, otherwise that’s far easier said than done.

      Although, even in the case of independent living, if you’ve never had to jump on a last minute flight due to a sick relative, etc. consider yourself lucky.

      But yes, clearly I’m in that group of sloths just for pointing out some disgusting privilege. *eye roll*

    7. DenB Diamond

      So you agree that bad-smelling people can happen, but you say it's "pretentious" to find it unpleasant? I think Redacted has a valid point about the increase in malodourous travellers. If flying in a Premium cabin can provide some distance from unpleasantness, in whatever form, then upgrades have value.

    8. Redacted Guest

      My apologies, DenB. I certainly didn’t mean to imply that it’s pretentious to find malodor unpleasant. And I agree it’s perfectly reasonable to pay a premium to help avoid it.

      The terms used to describe people were fairly pretentious, though, especially when we know nothing about the context. Always best to assume good intent.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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AD Diamond

@D3kingg, these days people are added to the upgrade list automatically if they're eligible. I suspect there are many low tier elites with credit cards at the bottom of that list who aren't even aware they're on the list.

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AD Diamond

sure... if you want to show off your $3500 AR kit in economy. Don't worry, you won't look like a pretentious tool.

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Redacted Guest

My apologies, DenB. I certainly didn’t mean to imply that it’s pretentious to find malodor unpleasant. And I agree it’s perfectly reasonable to pay a premium to help avoid it. The terms used to describe people were fairly pretentious, though, especially when we know nothing about the context. Always best to assume good intent.

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