per today's WSJ. I'll post a link since some get testy when I post articles, but I can't guarantee it will work
First-class seats have come down out of the stratosphere.
Airlines are dropping fares to entice shoppers to buy more first-class tickets. They also are tempting frequent fliers with round-trip upgrades for as little as $100 or $200 on domestic trips.
The catch: Frequent fliers used to get many more upgrades to first class free. For airlines, the shift in strategy is squeezing more revenue out of their best seats.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/first-class-fares-get-affordable-1432741041
http://time.com/money/3899867/airfare-deals-first-class/