Spoons, i simply don’t believe this part of your quoted text, i’m afraid:
If i understand this correctly, you are saying that your sister, who books bargain economy seats and then pays for things like baggage on top, ends up paying more for her travel that you do when you buy a Business or First Class seat. Is that correct?
Quite frankly, that seems incredibly unlikely, given the massive difference on most flights between the bargain Economy seats and the Business or First Class seats. I understand that the unbundling of airline services often makes Economy-class seats more expensive than they first appear, and that most of the stuff that you pay extra for in Economy is included in Business and First Class tickets, but that does not make an Economy ticket (plus extras) the same price as a Business class ticket.
I flew United Airlines from San Diego to New York and back just over a year ago, for $400 round trip. Checking my bag cost me an extra $25 each way. I can’t remember what i did for food, but i most likely had something to eat at the airport. Even at the ridiculous prices that airports charge for food, that wouldn’t have been more than $25 for each day of travel. And i’m being generous; i probably bought a $10 sandwich or something.
But even at the top end, this means that i paid a total of about $500, including food, to get to New York and back from San Diego. Are you trying to tell me i could get a cross-country return Business or First Class flight for 500 bucks?