When I am flying first with a companion, I almost always upgrade them as well, unless they have lots and lots of miles of their own. Then it's up to them to decide on their own how much they want the extra comfort.

If I am flying first with one of my kids or employees and there is no seat available for them in first, I give them money for drinks and a headset and explain how much they will need the comforts of first when they are old and have aching bones like me.

I rarely fly with clients, but if I see one go by to coach and first is open, I may or may not upgrade them on the spot, depending on how much fun they are and quickly they pay their bills.

For all the flying that my husband and I have done together over the past decades, we have never had an occasion where only one of us could get a seat in first. If first matters that much, I usually find a way to make it happen ahead of time, if not, well then we don't care together.

While it is rarely admitted on this board, it is, nonetheless, true that sitting in coach even in dreaded middle seats on a wide body plane on a long-haul flight, does not do permanent damage to one's mental, emotional or physical health.