Originally Posted by ridefar

I think the dispute is that the OP doesn't think AC should regard them as the same thing. Perhaps because no reasonable, impartial observer in their right mind would do so?

The food service is not the same. The alcohol service is not the same. The IFE is not the same (although arguably premium rouge is nearly as good on this one characteristic). The seats are only nominally the same (in the sense that the old, tired, worn down, physically busted up version of me at my current age is the "same" as me 20 years younger...). And so forth.

It may suit AC to call them the same thing. Even more so when they are vigorously rouging so many mainline routes domestically (for whatever reason, 737Max grounding being one leading reason but not the only). But that doesn't make it factually true.