A bold new vision for first class emerges, with fewer suites and more space than ever before.

When I booked my first-ever flight with Alaska Airlines, I noticed that trading up to first class on my return flight from Seattle to Anchorage would only cost an extra couple of hundred dollars.

I treated myself to a first-class flight with United Airlines for my birthday. I thought United's in-flight service was exceptional, and the meals were worth the upgrade. I'm already looking forward ...