Can’t face travelling economy anymore

[dualpee]

We are not wealthy so upgrading a flight is a big expense. I always justify not spending money on upgrading by saying things like “we all get there at the same time” and “£800-£1200 is enough for another trip abroad”

But as I have autism I really struggle with a lack of space. Sitting in the middle seat without easy aisle access really triggers me. Is anyone similar?

I feel guilty for ‘wasting’ money on comfort for a few hours, but it’s hard to enjoy yourself after being stressed for 10 hours.

I hate it but rarely can afford the upgrade. So we just don’t go abroad. For me the journey is part of the holiday and I don’t want to be stuck on a coach for 9 hours either.

It’s only worth it if you can afford it

Otherwise pay the extra to choose seats that you are comfortable with

Book an isle seat you don’t need an upgrade

I get similarly anxious on flights from ASD. I also have very long legs so the small seats are physically painful. An aisle seat helps, but only a bit.

I’ve been avoiding flying at all. I’m just not sure it’s worth it if I can’t upgrade to a larger space.

its not flying and it’s not the plane, it’s just the stupid tiny seating. I can’t figure out how society has agreed to go along with it.

Have you looked at airmiles? You still pay for taxes but upgrades are much more affordable. We collect Avios, we've managed to get enough for business class long haul for 2 within a year (BA Amex premium card for the companion voucher).

We're flying long haul soon and even though we're flying economy, the plane we're flying on has rows that are only 2 seats so me and my husband are the only ones on our row. Might be worth looking out for!

Surely you book and choose your seat, so pick and aisle seat and just go short haul so its not so long

Or holiday in the UK, I dont get why people are seemingly so allergic to UK holidays

I do holiday in the UK. It’s just not very pleasant to do in January.

Not many European holiday destinations have flights which have anything other than economy in my experience, unless you are travelling from London.

We go away at all times of the year in the UK.

Where are you flying?

Which airlines do you use?

If you don't want to or can't afford to pay for business, then either pay for an aisle seat when you book, book extra legroom seats, or use an airline that offers premium economy.

European business class is pretty much all rubbish, you generally just get an empty middle seat.

Definitely look into airlines if you want to lessen the financial burden.

I detest travelling in economy but can't justify the cash price for business. I'm in the Middle East so it's never remotely cheap.

Wouldn’t an emergency exit seat work better? You’d have to pay to choose it but way less than first class

I've booked EL seats for this very reason when I fly to Aus in May

Well surely you either pay up and go how you want or don’t and don’t go.

Fair enough, OP.

Fly whichever class you choose (and can afford). You don't need to justify it on MN.

If you have autism you should contact special assistance with whatever airline / travel provider you fly with and on seeing evidence of your condition (ie diagnosis report or PIP if you get that; not essential though) they should give you your choice of seat free (with Tui you don’t need to pay for this, other airlines are similar) and the option to either board first / disembark first etc whatever makes things easier for you. Both Ds and I have autism and these things make life much easier for us. We also have blue badges and get free private transfers to and from resorts with Tui and Jet2 so don’t have to use the coaches etc which is much less stressful for us.

That’s premium economy isn’t it?

Still a lot more expensive than economy but cheaper than business class & worth it if you can afford it for long haul

Until recently, I never managed to justify upgrading above economy. But I always tried to book the bulkhead seats which can feel a lot more spacious. I don't care if it means being near babies or the loo, the extra legroom is great.

But our last holiday we did premium economy out , and business class (overnight) back. First time I have ever slept more than 5 minutes on an overnight flight...Bliss....
There's no going back to economy !

My advice to you is don't upgrade unless you accept that you'll carry on upgrading in future!

I once had a job which gave me the opportunity to fly business class regularly. It’s fantastic, obviously. And particularly on overnight flights. But the biggest downside of it is that it completely spoils you for flying economy.

Short haul is fine in economy, you just get on with it. Day flights between Europe & the Middle East or US East Coast are just about tolerable. Overnight long haul economy flights are a fucking nightmare once you have experienced business class. I hate it so much that I haven’t done it for years.

No, some airlines have a 2-4-2 configuration on their larger aircraft. KLM, Lufthansa and Turkish for sure, on some planes.

That’s premium economy isn’t it?

Depends on the plane configuration, I've flown economy long haul with 2 seats on the sides and 4 in the middle. Some planes have 2 seat options towards the back of the plane as it gets narrower, they book up quickly though!!

I agree and now always go business. For fast track, lounge, first off so less waiting around usually.

I'm done with longhaul. Most of my future holidays will be in Europe. I'm tall so always book an aisle seat at an extra legroom row. Doesn't cost that much at all and is always worth it.

I feel your pain. . I travelled with Ryanair for the first time last September, never again , awful bone shaker of a plane , plastic seats , no legroom, no magazine wrack , could not even read a book without it being 50cm from my face . Just no room.
I'm flying long haul in the autumn and thinking I will upgrade incase the plane is like the Ryanair , I hope not .

I fly business class if it's over 6 hours or I just don't go/go to Spain or similar

i go to Spain a lot 😂