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. But it’s true. We’ve done it, and it wasn’t nearly 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, stayed in her aisle seat a few rows back. To make things even more interesting, this flight came right after a long-haul trip from Singapore, so I was already running on fumes (and probably in need of a shave).
The extra legroom was enough for me to stretch out and get at least a little nap on the flight. It also helped that no one was sitting next to me.
Sure, I wasn’t in first class, but with a full cabin and no chance of an upgrade, an empty seat next to me in an 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 home, we knew we could sleep as long as we wanted once we got there.
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. Red-eyes aren’t always fun, but they are survivable.
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