A First-Class Production

But before you start dreaming of adjustable footrests and door-to-door handholding, keep in mind that upgrades take time to trickle though a carrier's fleet. Joe Matukewicz, a film executive from Los Angeles, made that rude discovery when he flew on an upgraded Air France plane to Cannes, only to return on "the oldest plane they must've had in the entire fleet." It's tough to predict whether you'll get an overhauled plane, but you can ask the airline before booking or consult SeatGuru.com to increase your odds.

And with all the focus on details like seat "pitch" (the amount of space between rows) and the angle of recline, many travelers wonder if better service is getting left behind. As Matthew Bennett, publisher of the newsletter "First Class Flyer" puts it, "The in-flight service is so hit or miss, the discussion is reduced down to the performance of the actual seat." Considering that discount carriers like JetBlue and Southwest manage friendly service at low prices, you'd think long-haul airlines could give the red-carpet treatment to passengers paying top dollar. Perhaps once everybody has the same souped-up seats, that'll be the next competition to take off.