I dunno, I think a lot of us could be tempted by any airline that offered that combination. @:-)

This is a big factor for me. With my limited amount of vacation time, I can't take really long vacations. So when I fly abroad in coach, it's uncomfortable and takes a day or two in the destination to recover - eating into my vacation.

When I fly in First, the vacation starts right away and I arrive to my destination well-rested and ready to go!

Well, ok. If it were the flight crew and counter staff from Iberia, then maybe I'd agree. If they were from AA, I think I might drive.

Make yourself comfortable on my couch, and tell the nice doctor your earliest flight memories .

Inasmuch as longhaul planes travel at approximately the same speed it isn't practical to shorten the flight as measured by a clock. Nonetheless, perception of time is very much influenced by how I pass the time. At one extreme, if I'm asleep the time passes at near the speed of light, while if I am bored it seems much longer. Much of the value of premium class travel is that it's easier to sleep or to engage my mind by reading or working than it is in a cramped economy seat.

That's key here. I used to be on the same boat and could not possibly justify the extra cost for business class.... till I tried it. So my advice to you is to never ever try C or F and you will save money and headaches trying to figure out ways to fly "up front" on the cheap!
C and F are like any other luxury: totally unnecessary until you try them and get hooked.

Precisely. It does depend on an individual's build, but for me premium economy (38" pitch, 18.5"+ width) is the minimum space I would consider for a flight longer than about 90 minutes. I am particularly bothered by the lack of shoulder space in narrower seats, but then I'm also the guy who always wants to sit on the aisle at the ballet. (I would also be happy to see all in-flight entertainment hardware removed from aircraft because I resent the lost space beneath the seat in front.)

How could a human being possibly look forward to that?

I like vacations. I like visiting new places. I put up with flying as a cost of getting somewhere.

Sitting in coach is decidedly uncomfortable. Sitting in first class is much less uncomfortable than sitting in coach, but still massively less enjoyable than time on my own couch and bed. The food in first is not so bad, but not as nice as being able to go to my own kitchen or any restaurant I want. The airline staff I have to deal with are not so nasty as in back, but still mostly not people I would want to deal with more than I had to.

I fly in first when I can, including sometimes paying a lot more in money or miles, but don't confuse satisfaction at the coach passengers' sneers as they walk past with actual enjoyment.

I can't agree with most of your posting, but this part is spot on! ^

As for me, I don't travel for business, so 100% of my miles are earned through personal travel. Yet I have little vacation time left to use them, so I might as well travel in C/F on the trips I do take.

Another approach is to earmark "X number of miles for coach" and then work a new promo/bonus for the upgrade

Exactly how we think. The added benefits and the enhanced experiences are so much nicer that I feel the business class is the best value for award redemption.

That is also my pet-peeve, too!

I had a biz ticket from Frankfurt to Los Angeles, on an overbooked flight. I was offered �1500 Euro to downgrade to Economy (a nice seat by the emergency exit, thanks).

I took happily the �1500, but it also mabe me think (that I rarely do). This can of course be used as a measurement of ones personal valuation of a biz seat (we all value it different), and therefore also be used as a true valuation of ones valuation of FF-miles.

Would I take the deal for �1000? Yes, I think so. What about �800 ($1000)... well, thats close. In short, if someone pays med $200 an hour taxfree, they can send me all over the world in coach. $100/hour, well its close, but I guess no thanks (when I was a student, I would have thanked a lot for the same deal).

You have to factor in your ability to earn miles too. If you're only earning enough to get a international coach just in time for your vacation or whatnot then it probably makes sense to just redeem it for that.

However if you've mastered the art of having miles come out of your ... you might as well spend them on business or first tickets.

Agree that it's different strokes, disagree on what you get in return.

If I'm going to Europe, in addition to the added comfort, the nicer hotels tend to be closer to the attractions. By being within walking distance, or at least a shorter distance away, I'm saving time...which on vacation I value more than money since it is a limited commodity. If I am going to Cancun, the nicer hotels tend to be away from the city center which means that I'll have an easier time to relax and unwind which was my main goal of choosing that destination. (Moon Palace for example) I don't see the value in saving $75 per night to add 45 minutes and 2 subway transfers each way to my itinerary. If I wanted to spend the majority of my time in an industrial part of the city, I'd take a vacation to Detroit instead. Give me a business class/4-star hotel in London over two coach trips in a 2-star anyday.

And I'll give you a pass this time, but NEVER speak or imply ill of Wendy's again!

So, while I don't agree with the OP on the Coach vs Business/First argument, I have the same feelings about Business/First. I don't mind flying coach on a 4hr flight to Vegas, but on a long-haul international, I'm inclined to want to splurge for the Business ticket.

However, I'm not sure that I "buy" the argument that one needs to travel First. To me, the difference between coach/business is much greater than between business/first. Sure, there are extra ameneties that are included in First, but not enough (IMO) to spend the extra 50% or 100% miles premium that is required.