It’s difficult for many in the travel community to understand that plenty of passengers fly red-eye flights in economy class and survive to tell the tale. However, it’s true, and we’re here to say that we did it, and it wasn’t as bad as you might think.
On one of our trips, we took a red-eye from San Francisco to Orlando on United. I upgraded to an Economy Plus seat in the exit row, while my wife, Sharon, opted to stay in her aisle seat a few rows back. To make things even more interesting, this flight was directly after a long-haul trip from Singapore, so I was already running on fumes (and probably needed a shave).
IMHO, the extra legroom was enough for me to stretch out and get a nap on the flight. It also helped that I had no one sitting next to me.
Sure, I wasn’t in first class, but with a full cabin and no chance of an upgrade, an empty exit row was about as good as it was going to get. Even Sharon, sitting in a standard economy row, managed to catch a nap. And since this was our final flight, we knew we could sleep as long as we wanted once we got home.
Choosing the Right Seat for a Red-Eye
If you’re booking a red-eye flight, think about what you need:
- Need to be well-rested for a meeting the next morning? It might be worth paying for first class.
- Just heading home after a long trip? Economy might be fine, especially if you can snag an extra-legroom seat or an empty row.
The key is knowing your priorities. While red-eyes aren’t always fun, they are survivable.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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