Echoing most other posters. I think I've been maybe #9 on domestic out of 30, 40, 50 on the list, but not below. ~250k LP.

OTOH, I've had a E175 flight (LGA BHM) that went out 1/12 in F with me as the sole pax.

Couldn't agree more. I never head for the airport unless I have a guaranteed F seat---usually by paying for it, albeit in discounted first. I play no favorites on carriers, making my decision on factors such as price, non-stop flight, and time of flight. I keep my marriage intact by never making connections, unless there is no other way around it. So, we fly all the carriers and fly plenty: Always EXP on AA; GS on UA; MVP75 on AS; and, until recently, DM On DL.
I quit chasing status long ago, and spouse and I have well over 10m miles between us, usually to give away to grandkids and employees. True, frequent travel miles have been devalued relentlessly.

So, in time, spouse and I have lifetime status on all the carriers, as high as allowed. AA never made me CK, which rankled me, given the $$ I spent for Lifetime Airpass. On the good side, it stimulated me to go with other carriers who fulfilled my flying needs--and get over the illusion of flying a carrier for status they weren't going to give me. Have a happy life now, although I wish AA hadn't abandoned us Bay Area flyers by cutting service and non-stop flights. The worst is loss of non-stop from SJC to LAX. Dates back to when SJC had a hub, stimulating me to buy AAirpass. I enjoy giving my flying money to AS, who isn't looking to leech every buck from my wallet in their mileage program for status, compared to Isom, Bastian, Kirby, et al, who only want $$$. We will occasionally fly WN when the convenience of routing is too much to ignore. Their website is easier to us, IMHO, than the other big boys.

If you always fly F and pay for it, status is not worth much. You get status bonus miles from flying and maybe access to better customer service.

On the other hand, if you are only willing to pay for Y, status is extremely valuable.

Even among frequent travelers, the number of people who can afford to, and are willing to, pay for F on all their trips is quite small. So for most people who travel a lot, status is extremely valuable.

if one can afford first class tickets as you state who would chase status in the first place. That’s moot.

this.

My upgrade percentage is about 50% this year. I only get upgraded ahead of the waiting list being released. Whenever I ended up on the waitlist (which never cleared), I was #1 or #2. I am at ~240K LPs this year. On the other hand, I did very much appreciate an upgrade HKG-HND in CX from PE to J, for both Mrs. Pickles and me (she is Platinum Pro/Emerald) so there.

Really need to separate first class from group 1. SJC to PHX at least 40 in group 1 after CK a pre with only 8 FC seats. No CK boarded when called.

Understand that if they separate F from EXP, EXP will board first. Paid F with no status is the bottom of the totem pole in group 1.

I am totally confused. I thought at some point:

#1 Group 1 = F class
#2 Group 2 = EXPs and PPROs not in First
#3 Group 3 = Plats (and maybe golds?)
#4 Group 4 = Credit card holders
#5 Groups 5-9

GROUP 1:

First
Active duty U.S. military with military I.D.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum®
(Business on a 2-class international plane)

And FWIW when I've flown international 3-cabin F on OW partners (before I had any OW status) OWE boarded before paid F. Most of them turned right after boarding though, so it seemed like a fair trade-off.

On UA, 1K (equivalent of EXP) preboards before group 1 (F of group 1).

This is why I say they if you get your wish of separating F from group 1, F will most likely be after the other people currently in group 1, not before them.

It changed a few times. IIRC-

• 2014 - 2017 it was
  • First (3 class or 2 class J) / EXP / Military, Emerald
  • Business (3 class) / Platinum / Gold / Sapphire / Ruby
  • Priority Access
  • Group 1 - 4
• 2017 - 2021
  • CK Preboard
  • Group 1 - First class or Two Cabin Business / military
  • Group 2 - EXP / Emerald / Three Cabin Business
  • Group 3 - PP/Platinum/Sapphire
  • Group 4 - Gold/Executive Credit Cards/Alaska MVP/Purchased Priority Boarding
  • Group 5 - Main Cabin Extra/Premium Economy/Regular Credit Cards
  • Group 6-9
• 2021 - 2021
  • CK Preboard
  • Group 1 - First class or Two Cabin Business / military / EXP
  • Group 2 - Emerald / Three Cabin Business
  • Group 3 - PP/Platinum/Sapphire
  • Group 4 - Gold/Executive Credit Cards/Alaska MVP/Purchased Priority Boarding
  • Group 5 - Main Cabin Extra/Premium Economy/Regular Credit Cards
  • Group 6-9
• ​​​​​2021 - Present (post PP becoming OWE)
  • CK Preboard
  • Group 1 - First class or Two Cabin Business / military / EXP
  • Group 2 - PP/ Emerald / Three Cabin Business
  • Group 3 - Platinum/Sapphire
  • Group 4 - Gold/Executive Credit Cards/Alaska MVP/Purchased Priority Boarding
  • Group 5 - Main Cabin Extra/Premium Economy/Regular Credit Cards
  • Group 6-9

I am gunning for 200,001 LPs. And questioning even that, with 125,001 conferring most of the same benefits.

I think one point that your aren't considering is the element of discounted first class. Full F tickets have for quite some time been of questionable value. It doesn't take a lot of extra effort to go over the flight schedules of multiple carriers and consider purchasing a discounted first class ticket, which often is attractively priced (didn't used to be decades ago). Makes for different decisional factors in purchasing a fare in the front cabin

It mystifies me why folks purchase full fare F. Many flyers "chase" status, by multiple mechanisms and perspectives. Buying up to first class (hopefully discounted) is but one of them, if there is status level one is tempted to achieve. And then there are the "mileage runs" so infamously quoted in FT threads. Finally, there is the goal (of status) itself. It can mean different things to different flyers. As time has gone on, simply achieving status can be fleeting, especially when the carrier moves the goalposts from one year to the next and one wakes up looking at a new picture, such as when carriers (like UA and DL have done) in requirements for higher status levels. So I think many can afford F tickets, which may have separate relevance from ticketing decisions, especially due to temporary personal situations. One can purchase F tickets, and may or may not be chasing status at the same time. They are different things that can be separate in one's intent. Not something that is "moot".

Sum up: I think there are many like myself who can afford discounted F-class tickets, but do not consider the outlay of expense for an unrestricted F ticket to be worth the value. I think chasing status is a separate endeavor, with multiple ways to factor in how to channel one's financial resources into getting max FF points/miles for one's personal goals selecting flights. With promos and other things in the mix, and changing frequently, we occasionally (some even often) find ourselves routing a trip that has price and other factors in the equation.

I don't think anyone is suggesting full fare F. The point was that status matters more for those who can't, won't or don't pay for F class outright (discount or otherwise).