Just got back from an AF business class trip (777, CDG- LAX) Was an extremely comfortable/pleasant ride (I agree that it would have been hard to sleep in the non lie flat seat, but this was not an overnight flight) Was in the first row and so we got to see alot of what went on in first.
Frankly, for the extra miles or money is first class on such a flight really worth it?
Our food/wine was good enough and I don't need great food while flying. Any more legroom or space was not needed.

It is all a matter of opinion, of course. Some people need to feel super-super special. As you've noted, however, several airlines do not have the fully lie-flat seats in business class, and are probably worth avoiding if you want some sleep. LX and BA: good. AA, LH, AF, US: wait until they upgrade their seats.

I assume OP that you were on an international trip.. sometimes domestic only offers business or first.. whereas international offers both..

We've booked business class international for next summer. I look forward to observing differences if there are any on LH..

I suppose the same logic can be used with watches. You can spend $50 on a watch that tells perfect time, our you can spend thousands...still tells the same time.

Another thing to consider - the entire plane either arrives at your destination, or doesn't, at the same time. So when it comes to flight delays, cancellations, diversions, etc. everyone is in the same boat.

Sure, the Airline will work a bit harder to make the annoyances of travel better for the first or biz-class passengers, but even then a screwed up flight will screw up your day no matter what cabin you're booked in.

No one mentioned one other big variable - how many miles do you have? If you have a slew, what the hell!

I think a lot depends. For instance, on the AF business class, the seats are not fully lie-flat, and to me, first is much better than business in such cases. For UA, their business class is lie-flat, and they have great IFE. The seat is a little better in first, and the IFE is essentially the same. The food is slightly better, but not dramatically so.

UA business:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tqZwZHoewA

vs

UA first:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWilSOcJ-80

On LH, on the other hand, the the angled lie flat business class seat is not that awesome and the IFE is small. The new LH first is pretty sweet, and the food service is dramatically better by orders of magnitude (caviar, multiple courses, much better wines, etc). So, on LH, it is a huge jump to get into first.

LH business:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5NWhtNWm4M

vs.

LH first:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HriX08sYqso
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcROkfiSaBc

My suspicion, based only on trip reports, is that AF's first is much better than their business class. So if you fly AF again, it may be worth it, but some airlines are not worth the extra miles/money.

Did you read the OP?

If you had read it, there would be no assuming required.

BA F is very, very nice, while J is very nice... With unlimited miles or money, I'd go F all the time, no question. Since I don't, J will suffice, since the food is generally some kind of edible and I can sleep in the bed. F would be for special occasion flights.

Just travelled AF 777 from IAD and return AF A380 in late September/early October in business class both ways, used AMEX points to get "free" tickets (had to pay taxes and transfer of points fees). As we were trevelling for pleasure, we were perfectly content. We had priority access through security and access to the AF lounge. Is traveling in first, those perks would have been available too - though there might have been a first class lounge. Same accomodarions on the return trio. I slept fine on the way over - night flight and dozed on the return (I never really sleep on a day flight). The food, well...I'm not sure it's necessarily worth $1000's of dollars or tens of thousands more points. I basically concur with a previous poster, if you have tons of miles, sure, why notngo for it. Otherwise, business is a nice way to travel. Having said that, if flying Virgin Atlantic, "Upper Class" is a treat - on the flights we've flown, there are only options of economy, premium economy and Upper Class.

To some people, the availability of an exclusive, private and tailored travel experience (First class) is their key criteria rather than saving money.

I didn't know what cdg meant.. but I looked it up.. charles de gaulle..

There was a discussion in the AF forum a while ago... IIRC most people said it wasn't worth it.

The difference between Y and J is significant: a crammed seat VS. a comfortable almost-lie-flat with plenty of space, Y food and crap wine VS. J food and nice wine, amenities (noise cancelling headphones, eye shades,...), service, extra baggage. But when you compare J to F the differences are much smaller. The seats are better but not much better. The food is better but I've never placed that much value on this part of the flying experience. (I can always go for a really nice dinner at my destination and save a TON of money if good food is what I want. Besides, plane food is still plane food... it's not like they have a professional kitchen available for the flight.) The drinks are also better (e.g. the expensive champagne in F), but again... I don't think it justifies the price difference (be it cash or miles).

I suppose that if you're considering AF, you should also consider with whom you want to share the cabin: biz travelers (in J) or the captain's family?

Great summary!

I think the two differences are some people's need for status/exclusivity and another one we saw on our flight:
We saw a young woman in first class and could tell that the FA's were impressed. We watched the movie "Midnight in Paris" and there she is in a lead role. Turns out she won the Oscar for best actress a few years ago. I suppose major stars are willing to pay for privacy.

What also has always impressed me is that J and F pax never seem "classier"/better dressed than Y.
How many J or F pax do you think actually pay for their tkts ?

You seem to confuse the way people dress with their capacity to pay for tickets.

I think television and the movies have created a myth that people who are well off dress well. I think that dressing with style is more a matter of personal choice than how much you spend on it.

Even many of those who do dress well may choose comfort over style for long-haul flights.