James Boyk wrote:

Any suggestions for how I can fly (right now or at any time) from Los
Angeles to Europe for concert bookings---or to the Eastern U.S., for
that matter---given that I don't fit in economy-class seats and can't
afford 1st-class?

You can fly on airlines that have "Plus" or "Club" seats. These are
seats that are similar to business class, but have the same service as
economy. They are priced somewhat more than economy, but less than
business class. Airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have
these seats for the transatlantic portion.

Domestically, Spirit flies from Los Angeles to Detroit, and has this
type of seating. You can connect on them from Detroit to New York,
Atlantic City, and Washington, plus Florida cities. Once you are on the
east coast, you can take Amtrak to other destinations.

Airtran also has a business class that is fairly inexpensive. Early on,
they sell the seats for the same price as their advance reservation
economy.