I’ve flown first class a couple of times but one was a surprise upgrade (something that never happens anymore thanks to the mileage points plans). The last time was from NY to LA. We got the beds with silk comforters and actually slept part of the way, which was glorious. The time I was upgraded was from San Francisco to Las Vegas: too short a flight to really wallow in luxury but our snack was a beautiful fruit salad, artfully arranged. It was lovely but I remember thinking how crazy people must be to pay so much extra for such a short flight.

I had a disturbing experience recently on a plane that just had main cabin and business class. There was a special seatbelt announcement for the business class people whose seatbelts included shoulder harnesses. I felt like a steerage passenger on the Titanic. “No lifeboat for you!”