I'm going to be in a hurry to make my connection. I didn't think you'd mind if I sat up front. The most outlandish excuse came from a meticulously groomed interloper who was wearing what appeared to be a custom-tailored suit. He'd just requested a glass of champagne when I asked to see his boarding stub. He somehow managed to look down at me, even though I was standing above him.
People certainly have a financial incentive to sneak into first class.
In spite of the huge cost disparity, all passengers arrive in Chicago at exactly the same time. Plebeian-hating snobs notwithstanding, most flight attendants could care less about who sits where on an airplane. And no inferiority or superiority complexes related to the size and location of one's throne. It's communism at 30,000 feet. But hey, whatever works.