Fly Like A Bird Not A Sardine!
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010Is it worth saving a few dollars? 
I have always prided myself on being a great bargain shopper. It was not until my recent trip to New York that I began to think about ratio of dollars to comfort. I flew Economy on the way there, but upgraded with frequent flyer points to First Class coming back.
What a difference!
It really got me thinking…….Is it worth saving a few dollars to pay the price in other ways.
Packed like a sardine with no room for your legs, seats that are broken without adjustment, no footrest and not even getting peanuts on a 5-hour flight is no bargain! Obviously, without frequent flyer points (or a rich uncle) traveling First Class is not an option for most of us, but if you do a little research, you can at least get to your destination without severe neck and back pain.
Here’s a few tips:
- Find out what type of aircraft you will be flying. According to Seatguru.com, among the domestic lines, JetBlue and United’s Economy Plus cabins are the best. The tightest airplanes are 767s with 8-across seating, 777s with 10-across, and Airbus wide bodies with 9-across. It may be worth paying a few extra dollars for a little more leg room on these.
- Always request a aisle seat, exit row or the bulkhead. You get more legroom and have the flexibility to get up from your seat and walk around without bothering your neighbor.
- Bring your own pillow and travel blanket (AA now charges $5.00 for a pillow and blanket). You can use it as a pillow or a support for your arm when reading during the flight.
- Take along a foam or inflatable footrest. This can help keep your blood circulating and not pooling in your feet and legs during the trip. This can be very dangerous to your health as in blood clots and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT).
- Exercise your ankles while seated by pointing and flexing your feet.
- Bring your own snack- Even if the airline you are flying on has food for sale. It is not worth $10.00 for the finger size sandwich and chips
- Turn the overhead air nozzle to circulate the air in front of your face area so you are not breathing the stagnant re-circulated air.
Happy travels,
