I see that, but why are most employers so cheap so as to not treat their top employees with better travel conditions? Should this be the airline's responsibility to provide for enhanced travel conditions, or the employer's? It seems as though the prevailing thought in this forum is that it should be the airline's responsibility. I would argue that this should be the employer's.

The most productive employees should be allowed to travel in discount F. Chances are, if they are like me, that they will be spending the entire amount of time on their laptop working on their employer's business, and becoming even more productive in the process. This may or may not happen back in coach depending upon the prevailing conditions on that flight. (I once got stuck in the middle seat between two football players...) I would gladly invest $800 if I can gain 5 hours of productivity of an employee while s/he is on the road, provided that the value of that service exceeds $800 (which is true for almost any professional).