The airlines (or in the case of Canada: Air Canada) are mainly to blame for the lack of class in the front cabin. When I started flying in the early 1970s, the cost of first class vs steerage was moderate. My wife and I rarely hesitated to pay the difference, and in those days the service from CP and AC was excellent. It is amazing how much better Air Canada was in the days of it being a Crown corporation. Since privatisation, AC's service standards have dropped considerably. In domestic J Class we have experienced a full range of service: occasionally excellent, frequently indifferent and once, outright rudeness. I should point out that we have never been treated rudely on any other airline, and I have flown in every class except Concorde and parcel post. The quality of meals have dropped, menus disappeared, pre-departure drinks downgraded from Champagne to water to nothing, silver replaced with stainless steel, etc. At least there has usually been Royal Doulton china. Yet the cost of flying up front has reached exhorbitant levels. It is cheaper to travel from Toronto to Winnipeg or Vancouver in a private compartment on Via Rail, even in peak season. In the off-season, one can go round trip by private room for the cost of a one-way J-class flight. I realise that is not usually an option for business travellers, but you get the point. With J Class fares being so high, it is not surprising that most people flying in that cabin are on upgrades or points.