One man's opinion: 1st and Business Class travel is grossly overrated - I think a lot of it is just an ego thing because it makes the front-enders feel "special". I was a UA 1K for a few years and have flown many times in upgraded status - at least 20 times on the ORD-HNL nonstops alone - and I admit it was nicer than sitting in the back of the bus but definitely not worth spending extra money or using miles. Through the years I've redeemed somewhere between 3M to 4M frequent flyer miles, all have been used on saver-type coach awards, I haven't used one single mile on an upgrade.