First class seating is purely about luxury and making you as comfortable as possible throughout the duration of your flight. Certain amenities are included such as free champagne, reclining seats that sometimes recline to 7 feet on some airlines, being the first ones on and off the plane, and a longer menu. These seats will hit your wallet hard depending on the amenities you choose to take advantage of. Some first class seats cost around $10,000, according to Forbes.com. You can upgrade to first class for a discount if you are a member of an airline's frequent flier club where you can earn miles or points to cash in for upgrades and free flights.
Business class, or Envoy class for US Airways, is similar to first class, but instead of being designed for luxury, this area is designed for the business traveler. There is spacious seating similar to first class, but then there are also extended trays for laptops, and many amenities to support a traveler who might have to begin working the moment they get off the plane. These flights are normally pretty pricey as well, but not nearly as much as first class.
Coach or economy seating is the cheapest seating you can purchase. There is limited seating space, and while the chairs recline a bit, it's not nearly the range you will find in first or business class. The menu is very limited, and you have to pay for several amenities out of pocket such as drinks, headphones for the in-flight movie or for your laptop. Some flights offer plugs for your laptops as well as Internet, but not all of them. You will need to perform a bit of detective work and find out what amenities are offered before booking your flight.
