My family is flying from Georgia to Wyoming this summer. We have never flown before. We purchased Coach tickets for the price, of course. Since this is our first flight, I am curious to know what we will be missing by not flying Business or First Class. I have read some of the tips on this forum regarding having seating assignments reassigned from Coach to First Class. Am wondering if it is worth it to ask. Thanks

How are things in Americus??
My aunt lived many years in DeSoto.
As for the coach class flights, expect tighter seating compared with first class.
Usually in first class you pay about 4 or 5 times more, but you do get better of everything. On a long flight, I find the seats in coach class very tiresome.

But, as a general rule, I cannot afford to do much travelling at first class fares. The food is also better usually in first class, and the flight attendents are more solicitous of your needs.

And, its beats driving a whole day for one hour of flying, once you are aloft.

Are you headed for Jackson Hole or Cheyenne?

Depending on the airline, some have both Business Class and First Class, and some only have one "premium" class, and may name it differently.

First Class is more common on overseas flights than it is on domestic flights.

The biggest differences are in the seats and the meals. Seats are bigger in a premium class, and spread further apart. On planes usually used for transcontinental flights or overseas, a lot of the very expensive first class seats can recline almost flat, so you can sleep more comfortably. some even have curtains to go around them. On some planes, there's a pull up seeat besie a first class seat, so someone can come and sit with your for dinner. Which brings us to meals. First class food, especially on a long flight, seems to just keep on coming, often aratring with champagne and organge juice before the plane's doors are even closed. In business class, the food is still pretty good, but nowhere near as lavish. It's still better than coach.

I used to fly a lot, and I'm six foot two, and enjoyed the extra space in businss class. Depending on the airline, business class is often just a little more expensive than full fare economy, so I used to pick business class for the seat room and the bettr meal, but only if it was going to cost perhaps $50 more. For more than that, I'd stay in the back and buy a good dinner at the destination.

Thanks for the information. By the way, we are planning to go to Jackson Hole in June for a week.

Another interesting fact that many people are not aware of is that more oxygen is pumped into First Class than economy. For people prone to air sickness, headaches, lightheadness, etc., while flying the extra air is another benefit.

What the others have said is generally pretty accurate. I would just like to add a few points. I usually fly first class because of the comfort. This is not just because of the larger seats. You get on and off first and less problems with screaming kids.

Many airlines allow you to upgrade to first class on the day of your flight for a nominal fee even from discounted restricted fares. The upgrade fees typically run from $25.00 - $100.00 depending on the airline, distance and number of segments for your trip. Of course this depends on availability. I have almost always been able to upgrade by arriving at the airport in plenty of time.

Basically, you'll have more seat room in first class. But the price differential is so great that I wouldn't bother with first class unless you're looking at a long overseas flight.

Lots of people will tell you "tips" about how to get your seats upgraded for free -- but don't get your hopes up. They fall into the category of urban myths -- "My aunt had a friend whose cousin who got his seat changed to first class by ...."

Don't forget -- whether you're in coach or first class, you still arrive at the same time!

Emily:

Free and cheap upgrades are not a myth at all. I don't know where you fly but I fly all over California, up and down the coast from San Diego to San Francisco, Seattle, Spokane, as well as to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Mexico, etc. I almost always fly first class and have never paid more than $100.00 above the lowest discount fare period.

You may arrive at the same time but at least I will ride in comfort.