A Lot More Than Pretzels

By Jeninne Lee-St. John

While the snacks and legroom are disappearing for budget flyers, those in first class and business class are being treated more royally than ever. The latest amenity: goody bags. Virgin Atlantic gives premium-class flyers a travel bag by Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng, holding eponymously branded swag like socks and cuff links. First-class passengers on cross-country Continental flights are wooed with fragrances by Prada and Ghirardelli chocolates. United has given premium flyers bags packed with hundreds of dollars' worth of goodies, including luxury toiletries, snacks and teas, Tempur-Pedic pillows and advance copies of books like Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown. Some customers have even paid to change flights to get the bags, says a United rep. Now if they'd only pass a few back to the folks in coach. --By Jeninne Lee-St. John