If you're paying on AA that way, you're blowing it. I pay for dirt cheap economy, upgrade and get the same service as you. Whether it should or shouldn't be that way is irrelevant to this point. That's what it is.
I only pay a premium for things when I'm actually going to get something for it.
+1, I could not agree more. Spending personal money is a matter of evaluating the utility you will get for the cost of spending more. In respects to flying AA (all other airlines set aside), paying $10K for a hop across the pond in F will not (in my personal valuations) give you the value worthy of the price paid.