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Is domestic first becoming worse and worse as a value proposition? The new DL seats look awful IMO.

Was just thinking about this - maybe on a transcon, depends I guess.

For me, First is worth it provided two conditions are met: Flight segment is 2 or more hours and price is competitive with the premium economy offering on the same flight.

My trip to LAX last November was in First on UA and felt it was acceptable as far as comfort, service, and value. I'll be making another Thanksgiving trip to ABQ on UA in first (like last year) and while the segment length certainly isn't 2 or more hours, the comfort of the extra room on what promises to be a full flight (most ABQ-DEN flights are) is worth the price.

Sometimes. The bigger seat is worth it on a transcon.

If I'm just up and down the west coast and heading no further east than Denver, economy is fine. Anything more than that, and I'll book in First. My 6ft frame can handle cattle class for only so long.

(He says, as he books SNA-SFO in F...)

ShyFlyer wrote:For me, First is worth it provided two conditions are met: Flight segment is 2 or more hours and price is competitive with the premium economy offering on the same flight.

My trip to LAX last November was in First on UA and felt it was acceptable as far as comfort, service, and value. I'll be making another Thanksgiving trip to ABQ on UA in first (like last year) and while the segment length certainly isn't 2 or more hours, the comfort of the extra room on what promises to be a full flight (most ABQ-DEN flights are) is worth the price.

This maybe I can see, but I'm only 5'9", so I just can't imagine if it were much more expensive really wasting that money, in effect.

As I wrote today, Delta's new seats have me cringing, but not as bad maybe as Oasis.

DELTA INTRODUCES NEW 1ST CLASS SEATS, BEST EXPERIENCE FOR SARDINES YET!

Due to limited space, passengers above 4’10” will be asked to gate check their legs, but will be allowed to pick them up free of charge at their final destination. As an added bonus, the seat shells contain a small storage container, where first class passengers can place their dignity, if the TSA hasn’t already taken it.

The domestic meals sure look like utter crap. Maybe on premium transcon? I guess I'm just cheap.

I flew AS in F last year, LAX to ORD. A320, ex VX bird. Not bad at all.

If you can really call it First is a matter of semantics. It resembles what other airlines would call Business on international flights. Minus the lay-flat seats, of course.

I booked F as I had booked a roundtrip flight ORD-LAX-ORD in Y. But then I had to change my itinerary and flew from BUF into LAX on B6. I was able to cancel the booking with AS, but only got a voucher that was valid for 1 year. As I did not expect to fly them again within the year, I burned the money on a one-way F ticket.

Under normal circumstances, I would probably not book it again, unless I got a bargain offer. It is a decent product, but spending several hundred $$$ for just sitting a bit more comfortably during a 4-5 hour flight? Nah...

But I guess that's your answer: is domestic F worth it? A: Depends on the fare.

Zak wrote:I flew AS in F last year, LAX to ORD. A320, ex VX bird. Not bad at all.

I believe when you did this last year I told you not to get used to it. AS has dumbed down the F cabins on ALL of the 320X family the bought from VX. VX had 54" pitch in F. Now the pitch in AS (*again, the Airbii) is 41".

American has done something similar, reducing pitch up front so they and tuck another row or two in the back.

Is it worth it . . . . a lot of you here know me . . . . I don't fly Y and don't blink when I buy a ticket. Better than appearing on the front of the local newspaper for losing my mind at someone's little brat that was not properly trained.

Additionally . . . fares: Went to PBI couple months ago, on AA. Could have gone to FLL and rented a car for $500 less, but didn't. It was a lot closer to my cruise ship to go to PBI, plus I could check that block for another airport.

AA is outrageously expensive in F to Hawaii - but MRSANC and I are ticketed, and in three weeks were gone. United was similarly priced. Both offer non-stops from ORD to/from HNL. Picked AA because that's where my miles/status are. (Interisland over there will be Y, I'm not paying twice the fare for a morning Bloody Mary on HA 717).

Lastly, look at SeatGuru. When MRSANC and I flew to SAT couple months ago we did it non-stop (on AA of course) from ORD-SAT on a 738. The return went through DFW ( so I could finally grab a F seat on a 788). The agent told me there was a non-stop on a 738 I could grab, in F . . . I assured her as an AVGeek, the trip was planned to take the 788. She said, we get a lot of people like you Back to the point - worst F seat ever on the 788. Narrow shoulders, no easy in and out even though it's a 1-2-1 config. I will attempt to avoid 1A on a 788 from now on. MRSANC was in 1D - which is backward facing - and it didn't bother her at all.

That's my thoughts. I do F cause I'm old, cranky, spoiled.

I dunno….seems when I list for first I am usually 20 or worse on the upgrade list so someone feels that it is worth it otherwise they would skip the upgrade for another day.

The last handful of trips we've taken has been up front or in DL's Comfort+.

We watch the price to an extent if we're looking to book F (or when Britt had her emergency eye surgery in Irvine, CA in May 2018 I just paid whatever it was for it; didn't care). Just depends.

In any case...we're probably spoiled and snooty at this point but...if I'm traveling a distance...I'm kind of past the point of being crammed in the back.

I'm fat, tired, out of patience...and willing to pay for it.

GQfluffy wrote:The last handful of trips we've taken has been up front or in DL's Comfort+.

I think DL's Comfort+ gives you excellent value for money. The only downside is that it's usually quickly sold out, especially on TATL flights.

I love it that DL doesn't sell Y+ as a separate fare category. Instead, you can buy the cheapest Y ticket you can get and then pay a little extra to reserve a Y+ seat.

ANCFlyer wrote:Now the pitch in AS (*again, the Airbii) is 41".

41"?
Yeah, airlines can call that "First" for as long as I want, but that's essentially a Y+ product. Y++, if you must.

ANCFlyer wrote:Back to the point - worst F seat ever on the 788. Narrow shoulders, no easy in and out

If it's any consolation - the experience in Y/Y+ is exactly the same. Narrowest airliner seats I've ever been crammed into, horribly uncomfortable. And don't ever take an aisle seat on a Dreamliner! You will get bumped into every 30 seconds, because the aisles are ridiculously narrow. I've always been wondering how that got certified, but now that we know more about how certifying things worked between Boeing and the FAA, I have no more questions.

I performed a little tap dance when my KLM app told me last week that the 789 I was booked on for JFK-AMS (no other option available that day, and I had to fly that day) had been replaced by a 744. The upgrade to business certainly didn't hurt, either, even if KL's biz product is nothing to write home about.

Lucas wrote:Is domestic first becoming worse and worse as a value proposition? The new DL seats look awful IMO.

They do look terrible, though lie-flat isn't really needed on a short sector and, if the price is right, people will still go for it.

Personally I'd just go for an exit row. Try explaining to the check-in desk that you're a man of strong moral fibre with scuba diving experience, surely the perfect type to be in charge of an emergency exit.