Originally Posted by
inpd
Whilst I agree with you, I do sympathize with the OP. "First class" in many service industries means a very high level quality of service, but for US airlines has come to mean not that.
It has always meant a much bigger seat. I don't think domestic first class seats have meaningfully changed in decades. Service levels constantly fluctuate, as do prices. I can also tell you, that a suite at the Mirage in Vegas today does not give you the same service experience as a suite at the Mirage in Vegas did in 1990. But it's still a huge room!
Now of course, this is because hardly anyone pays for domestic first class anymore.
Delta has published that 57% of its first class seats in 2015 (estimate made close to year-end) were paid, up from 45% in 2013, and with a goal of 70% by 2018. (Now, I've been on record that this stat is kind of bogus because it ignores the price paid aspect, but nonetheless it pretty clearly refutes your assertion.)