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First Class Fading Fast
The Travel Critic · September 21, 1999

Last year I called for the elimination of first class. Now it looks like premium service really is on its way to extinction, at least if you're flying domestically.

You can still buy seats at premium prices - an advance purchase, round trip ticket from JFK to LAX that costs $360 in economy will run you $1,360 round trip in first - but you won't necessarily get premium perks.

At least that's the impression you get when talking with passengers like Mike Rahimm, who says that on domestic flights, first class is a sham.

"With the exception of a bigger seat," Rahimm says, "which at times is worn out or not that comfortable, upgrading to first class on domestic flights does not really give you much."

Rahimm, who recently flew from Orange County, Calif., to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on American Airlines, reported that the first-class service was a second-rate experience.

There was no VIP lounge and no personal movie selections, gripes the information technology consultant. And when it came time to board, first class was lumped in with all the gold and platinum card holders and passengers with kids.

Carol Kaminski endured an equally unpleasant flight on American Airlines' first class. Traveling from Dallas/Fort Worth to Milwaukee, Wis., the Arlington, Texas, magazine editor says she was "stunned" by the poor service.

"We had two Valley Girl flight attendants," she remembers. "It was 40 minutes before we received coffee - in plastic cups - followed by a distasteful omelet breakfast. When I asked for a Bloody Mary, I got a 'go to hell' look from the flight attendant."

Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines, insists that first class is alive and well. "The seats in first class have more pitch, they recline more, they're wider. The flight attendant-to-passenger ratio is higher, which would equate into more attention and service. The food service is more extensive - you get china and napkins, and it's a little more akin to what you would find in restaurant. There's also free beverage service."

To single out American Airlines wouldn't be right. Other carriers are assimilating first-class sections into their main cabins at a more disturbing pace.

Take United Airlines, which termed its introduction of "Economy Plus," a new section between first and economy, as "the biggest onboard enhancement for frequent travelers since the introduction of business class."

Yeah, right. I would have called the new section "Business Minus." The fortunate few frequent fliers who "upgrade" to the section on a first-come, first served basis will get 35 to 36 inches of legroom - which is about the same amount of pitch you'd find in an emergency exit row in sardine class - but no more width.

I wonder if anyone at United remembered TWA's failed "Comfort Class" when they decided to do this.

Speaking of TWA, it's also blurred the distinction between first class, business class and economy. When I take a look at its Trans World First seats (not to be confused Continental's BusinessFirst) I feel as if I'm looking at Midwest Express Airlines' main cabin. They're not offering much more space than in the back of the plane, and the cookies aren't as good.

More often than not, I find myself shrugging the first-class experience off as I walk back to my economy class seat. First-class envy? Not in this deregulated airline industry.

I know, I shouldn't be fussing. After all, most domestic flights are relatively short. But that's an empty excuse for this kind of behavior when you consider the exception to the rule: Aloha Airlines. The intra-island carrier recently reconfigured the premium sections on its Boeing 737 aircraft. But the redesign didn't just add four more first-class seats. Aloha also removed a row of seats from its coach cabin to expand leg room for all passengers. Not bad for an island-hopping airline.

When I called for airlines to ban first class last year, I didn't mean dilute first class or sugarcoat economy class. I meant, get rid of it, and give the space back to the cramped passengers in the back.

United's move to add a new, deceptively named, wannabe business class section is the proverbial first domino that could destroy the class system, but not the way most travelers would want it.

It's obvious that when it comes to domestic travel, our airlines are becoming more and more like their European counterparts. A majority of continental carriers simply cram as many seats as they can in their cabins and then throw a partition two-thirds of the way toward the front. They call the front first class and the back economy, but they're fooling no one but themselves.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator and author of A Bridge to Nowhere: A Year in the Florida Keys. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.