Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA Platinum, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Ambassador, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 8,177
The two airliens I'm most familiar with in this regard are CO and AA.
CO lists the passenger's OnePass elite status on the passenger manifest, but not the type of ticket. So, in-flight crew have no way of knowing if you're flying on an award ticket, upgrade, or paid first class (they may or may not know if you're employee non-rev - I don't know).
AA does list the type of ticket you have on the manifest, and it does sometimes affect the service you get. I have a friend who's specifically been told by an AA flight attendant that she's expecting too much because she used stickers to upgrade, and should not expect as good service as someone who paid for a FC ticket! In my opinion, providing this information on the manifest is all that is needed by a FA that's pre-disposed to give bad service to do actually so.
On some airlines that provide things such as free limousine transfers to/from the airport for paid first class tickets won't provide these amenities for reward or upgrade tickets, but by and large you get the full treatment (dedicated check-in lines, lounge access, etc.)