10 things I do when business class is not in the budget (which it usually isn’t…)
I would love to tell you that I only cross oceans horizontally, drinking champagne beneath a tiny duvet.
I do not.
Usually we're flying economy.
And economy has become a strange experiment in discovering exactly how little personal space a human being technically requires.
Still, there is a considerable difference between being uncomfortable for eight hours and being miserable for eight hours.
I cannot give you a lie-flat bed.
I can make 34A suck considerably less.
1. SPEND MONEY ON THE SEAT BEFORE YOU SPEND IT ON AIRPORT NONSENSE
If I have a little extra money to throw at an economy flight, I'm spending it on the seat.
Not a travel gadget. Not a tiny bottle of face mist promising to make me look dewy over Greenland.
The seat.
On a long flight, paying for extra legroom, a preferred seat, or the exact aisle/window situation you want can be worth far more than buying a pile of things designed to make a bad seat tolerable.
Check the seat map before you book.
Then check it again before the flight.
Which brings me to...
2. KEEP LOOKING AT THE SEAT MAP
Seat assignments move around.
People upgrade. People cancel. Airlines change aircraft. Better seats sometimes appear closer to departure.
If I don't love my original seat, I periodically check the airline app.
You don't necessarily need a complicated seat-hacking strategy.
You need curiosity and mild obsession.
Particularly during check-in.
A seat that cost extra three weeks ago may become available. An aisle may open. An emptier section of the cabin may appear.
Do not emotionally marry 42E.
3. DECIDE WHICH KIND OF BOARDING PERSON YOU ARE
There are two perfectly valid philosophies here.
I have a roller bag: I want to board early enough to get overhead-bin space near my seat.
Everything I own fits under the seat: I would like to spend as little additional time inside this aircraft as possible.
I am not standing in a boarding lane for forty minutes simply because Group 2 has been called and I am Group 7.
But if overhead space matters, don't get cute.
Board when you're supposed to.
There is no prize for being the final passenger onboard, except possibly checking your bag.
4. MAKE A TINY LONG-HAUL KIT
Not seventeen travel gadgets.
One little bag.
Mine would contain some combination of:
Eye mask.
Earplugs.
Lip balm.
Hand cream.
Toothbrush.
Toothpaste.
Medication.
Charging cable.
Gum.
Hair tie.
Face wipe.
Maybe a hydrating mask if I'm feeling theatrical.
The important thing is that it stays at your seat.
Nothing destroys the illusion that you are a sophisticated international traveler quite like opening the overhead bin at 2 a.m. and having your underwear fall onto somebody in 27C.
5. BRING THE GOOD HEADPHONES
This is the travel purchase I will defend.
Noise-cancelling headphones don't make the seat bigger, but they make the world around the seat smaller.
Engine noise drops. Conversations fade. The baby three rows back becomes somebody else's spiritual lesson.
Download what you want to watch or listen to before leaving home, because airplane Wi-Fi has betrayed us all.
I also bring regular wired earbuds or an airplane audio adapter when necessary, because the entertainment system may have its own ideas about Bluetooth.
Redundancy is sexy.
6. BRING FOOD YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO EAT
Airplane food is one of life's great lotteries.
Sometimes: surprisingly good curry.
Sometimes: a sealed object labeled PASTA.
I don't need to bring an entire charcuterie board onboard, but I do want something I know I'll eat.
Fruit. Chocolate. A sandwich. Protein bar. Something salty.
And I buy a large bottle of water after security or fill my reusable bottle before boarding.
The goal is not to perform wellness at 37,000 feet.
The goal is to avoid reaching Hour Six hungry, thirsty, and furious because dinner consisted of four leaves and a roll capable of breaking a window.
7. WEAR LAYERS, NOT AN “AIRPORT OUTFIT”
I enjoy an airport outfit.
I also enjoy having functioning circulation.
The airplane may be approximately the temperature of a Scandinavian meat locker when you board and a tropical greenhouse six hours later.
Wear something soft.
Bring a layer.
Wear shoes you can comfortably keep on for most of the flight.
And if you're someone whose feet or legs swell during long flights, find out whether compression socks make sense for you.
The goal is to arrive looking vaguely human, not to win Best Dressed at TSA.
8. USE YOUR STUFF TO FIX THE SEAT
You probably don't need another specialized travel product.
That sweater you're carrying?
Lumbar support.
The airline blanket?
Roll it behind your lower back.
Your small soft bag?
Footrest, if it can sit beneath your feet without blocking the space or becoming a safety problem.
Your scarf?
Blanket.
Your jacket?
Pillow.
I am deeply suspicious of buying an object that performs exactly one task for eight hours and then spends the other 357 days of the year living in a closet.
9. GET UP
This is one of the reasons I often prefer the aisle on a long flight.
I want freedom.
I want water.
I want the bathroom without having to climb over a sleeping stranger whose head has somehow migrated onto my shoulder.
And I want to move.
On a long flight, get up periodically when it's safe to do so. Walk a little. Stretch your legs. Move your ankles while you're sitting.
You do not need to perform airplane yoga beside the galley.
Just don't remain folded into the shape of your seat for nine uninterrupted hours.
10. BUILD THE LUXURY AROUND THE FLIGHT
This may be my favorite economy-class trick because it has almost nothing to do with the airplane.
I can't afford business class, so I look for smaller ways to make the travel day feel good.
Maybe I use lounge access I already have through a credit card or membership.
Maybe I buy myself an excellent breakfast before boarding.
Maybe I book the airport transfer rather than dealing with three trains after an overnight flight.
Maybe I choose a beautiful hotel for the first night.
Maybe I leave enough time in the itinerary that landing doesn't immediately become an endurance event.
Luxury doesn't have to mean the entire trip is expensive.
Sometimes it's one carefully chosen place where you remove friction.
AND ONE THING I DON'T DO: TURN MY SEAT INTO A FORT
The internet is full of increasingly elaborate economy hacks.
Hammocks. Inflatable objects. Tray-table contraptions. Privacy curtains. Tiny humidifiers. Devices that make your seat look like you've established a sovereign nation inside Row 38.
No.
I want fewer things, not more things.
Give me the best seat I can reasonably afford, good headphones, water, something delicious, a layer, an eye mask, and enough entertainment to disappear for a while.
Then dim the cabin.
Put on the terrible movie you'd never admit you wanted to watch.
Eat the chocolate you saved for somewhere over the Atlantic.
Economy is still economy.
But for eight hours, this is where you live.
Make it decent.
