Sant- just FYI, that is not always true. I have been involuntarily downgraded before after purchasing first class. When boarding, two seats were broken, and the gate agents downgraded me. I made the point that I had purchased first, and they, in not so many words, explained that they were supposed to downgrade me by policy, not sure what the pecking order is. But in any case, I spent the next 4.5 hrs in a MIDDLE seat in coach as that is all that was left. My compensation was ~$90 refund and a $250 voucher. You can decide for yourself if that is worth it, for me no, but my communications with UA went largely ignored, as expected.

I would chime in also that First in the domestic US market is simply not worth it, unless it's a lie flat trans-con redeye flight. There's no lounge access with it (not to say that the domestic lounges are any good anyway), and, if it's a short flight, they don't even give you a meal. For flights where they feed you, the food is very poor and the wine undrinkable (at least that's my experience on UA and AA - I hear that Virgin is better).

Do the Global Entry *IF* you have a location near you that does the
interview, you don't just 'sign up' for it. I did the TSA Precheck because
it was the only option, since the closest place to me to do the G E interview
was 500 miles away (and has to be booked in advance), whereas TSA Precheck was able to be done locally. G E requires a US Customs Office,
TSA Precheck does not.

OH - and one other thing - if you do the GE or the TSA Precheck, MAKE SURE
it is printed on your tickets or you have to go thru the long lines with all the
normal folk. I know - I got bit by this when I had a flight canceled and rebooked, and the rebooked ticket did not notate that.

If considering United I'd do it this way:
1) Buy the coach seats. Go all the way through the process and see if it offers a discounted upgrade to first anywhere along the way.
2) After you've paid for the tickets (and assuming it doesn't offer the discounted upgrade) go in to manage the reservation and try to upgrade from there. It may be more money or less than the last offer you received.
3) If you still never get the discounted option or it is higher priced than just buying it in F outright then cancel the purchased tickets (no charge so long as it is within 24 hours of the original purchase) and pay the regular F price which you were willing to pay anyways.

The other option is to buy a 3rd coach seat for the extra space on board. That's probably a lot cheaper than the F seats.

Spend the extra money on a nice dinner in Vegas. Domestic first class on United is almost never worth it.

Seth,

Aren't there some fare classes that might be better in terms of upgrading? Is that something they should look at in "advanced mode"

But, I think most people are saying it's just not worth it. If your wife is nervous about lines or whatever, go to the airport early and hold her hand. Take the savings and go to an awesome dinner or a show or something. I bet that will make a better impression than the crappy first class seats. You won't get a shower on the plane. You won't be lying flat and watching movies. You'll only likely be .....ing that you paid all that extra money and you still got a crappy meal and terrible service. I'd really lower your expectations.

Not really. If waitlisted the priority changes but the OP isn't talking about taking that chance.

I understand why you want to travel in F. If you have never flown in F the expectation and excitement is part of the journey. It isn't just about sitting in the seat on the plane its the weeks leading up to it wondering about it.

OK, it looks like I'm the contrarian now.

I think the OP should get first-class seats for the flight.

Assuming the flight time is similar to DFW-LAS, a flight I've done 12-15 times, you're looking at something like 2.5 hrs of flight time, and more like 3+ hours gate-to-gate.

That's plenty of time to go stir-crazy in the back of the bus, or, more positively, to appreciate the larger seat and less-crowded surroundings of the F cabin.

Plus, at least at the gates I've flown out of at LAS, there is indeed a much-shorter F line at security.

I agree. My first couple of years flying were in coach, it was fun to try first! I only ever fly SFO to SEA ( a 2.5-3 hour flight) so while many of you may argue that it's not worth it, I say it is for 2 reasons:
1. Quicker security lines
2. As a gift, it'll make her feel special

Is it some amazing experience? Domestically no....but will it make her feel special? Yes, because you thought of her. I am married to just such a man who if it's hundreds more but he knows it's a great new experience for me, he would pay it just to see me smile (never fear, I frequently talk him out of overspending, I'd rather invest then spend...but the occassional splurge is fun).

But I digress. Do it. You'll feel like you gave her a unique gift, she'll feel special and you will reap the rewards greater then the cash spent.

Oh and shorter lines too...lol

I think you mean that one should make sure that PreCheck is printed on the BOARDING PASS, not the ticket. I've never seen PreCheck indicated on a ticket receipt, nor would a TSA document checker ever look at a ticket rather than a boarding pass.

I went ahead and bought the first class tickets. They were 374.00 each compared to 262 for economy seats

Good job - for that price I'd agree it's a no-brainer, just to not have a middle seat there! Enjoy your trip.

Yep. Thumbs up.

IMO, that's a fair premium for what you get.

Congrats! That's a no brainier for the price.

I hope you have a great trip.

Try not to enjoy it too much as it is very hard to go back to coach after enjoying first...