A frost giant is a large creature that is 15 feet tall and has a reach of 10 feet. How many squares off the ground directly above the giant does someone flying have to be to be "out of reach" of said giant who is standing on the ground (not jumping or flying) swatting at them?
Does the giant only occupy a 10x10x10 cube even though it is 15 feet tall? With its reach of 10 feet it can easily reach 20 feet from the ground (4th square from the ground) but should it be able to reach 25 feet (5th square from the ground)?
I realize similar arguments could be made for 7 foot tall humans who only occupy a 5x5x5 square, but the giant seems to beg the question of why a 15 foot tall creature with a 10 foot reach can't attack someone 25 feet off the ground. So how does it work?
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The size category of the creature dictates the amount of space it takes up, including that space in three dimensions. A Large creature takes up 10x10x10; the giant reaches to an altitude of 20 feet, so a creature would not provoke if flying above that height.
If that doesn't meet with your aesthetics of what the 15' tall giant can do, keep in mind that his height is based on the top of his head, not his shoulders that dictate his reach, and that the game is an abstraction. If choosing to do otherwise in a home game environment, the flyer's player should have the information of the game rule, as modified by the character's knowledge of the creature's reach, to make an appropriate decision.
Getting side-swiped by a different understanding of the rules is never a good thing.
Does the giant only occupy a 10x10x10 cube even though it is 15 feet tall?
Yes. A large creature with 10 foot reach cannot hit a target 25 feet above it without jumping.
So how does it work?
Reach is determined mostly by size category, while height is mostly fluff.
I'm just trying to make sure I'm not missing a rule somewhere that states the size of a monster doesn't pertain to its height, but I can't seem to find such a rule. So yes, it's a weird abstraction but one I'm familiar with.
In a similar vein I've had to explain to my players why the 6'6" barbarian with a 5' sword has to jump really high (DC 20 vertical leap) to hit something that is essentially 10 feet off the ground (ground counts as 1st square and enemy is in the 3rd square) and should be well within reach...it's a rules abstraction.
I guess perhaps a better question is why isn't the frost giant a huge creature? *grin* I kid. I kid.
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One point regarding height and size is that the fact that Large creatures come in two varieties with varied reach. A Large bear only has 5' reach, but the giant, being tall, has 10' reach. In other words, his height is already giving him a reach benefit, but his size was insufficient to make him Huge.
Regarding jumping to reach, in 3.5, this was specifically not allowed without something like Spring Attack. Movement that ends in mid-air in 3.5 must be followed on the next action with movement to resolve the Wiley Coyote type suspension in mid-air. Despite that, it was common to (often unknowingly) house-ruling that it was ok to jump to hit a target. That language is not included in the Acrobatics section that replaces the 3.5 Jump skill. I personally would have no problem with a GM that continued to require jumping to not end in mid-air, and would have no problem ruling it as such in a PF game, whether PFS or other.