Very few companies flat out allow for F and luxury travel. Even for execs. Some bigger companies allow it for EVP's and above, but even then there are some restrictions.

For the vast majority of biz travelers and I am sure for most on FT, it is the membership in the rewards programs that get us up front and in the best hotels, not actual company policy.

Speaking for myself, my company requires Economy class for EVERYONE below the VP level. VP's are also restricted to economy under 8 hours of flight. We are restricted to mid size car rentals. We are restricted to 150 per night at hotels in most cities..although some cities have exceptions.

HOWEVER....our corporate rates and preferred partner programs with various airlines, hotels and car rental companies get us special upgrades automatically. For example, while I will always have to buy the mid size rental at National, using my corporate code I actually get "Emerald" status automatically, and therefore when I get to the lot I can take ANY care in the Emerald Aisle, which is usually a full size SUV or intermediate. Basically the same deal with Airlines. AA is our pref. partner, so by booking with them I automatically get AA Advantage ability to pick preferred seating.

But the reality is that even ontop of all that, I have been collecting AA miles (and others) for 20 years and fly ALOT, so when I book using my personal member number, I book basic Y and usually end up in F via automatic UGs or in some cases buy ups. Same for cars and hotels. Most of us travel so much we earn super deluxe platinum preferred status pretty quickly.

So, in short, our companies generally don't allow us to book high end travel, but we travel so much we earned it from the hotels, airlines and car companies. This is why most people you see in F didn't actually pay more than everyone you see in Y.