Comfortably flying coach
Soft T-shirt, oversized sweatshirt, baggy track pants, worn-in tennis shoes. That was my flight uniform in college, when each semester break had me shuttling between Chicago and my parents’ home back East.
Mom would greet me at Newark with a hug and a raised eyebrow that silently suggested I had gone a little overboard in trading off style for comfort.
But these days, the state of air travel such as it is, Mom finally gets it.
On a recent flight to Hawaii, we were dressed almost identically in drawstring pants, breathable knit tops and lightweight, zip-up sweatshirts. Jackie O. we were not, but the layering strategy prevented us from getting too hot or too cold, and the baggy pants made it easier to attempt awkward stretching positions while staying seated for nearly all of the eight-hour flight.
Wearing loose clothing isn’t the only way to cope with the cramped quarters of coach class, where just about the only free amenities still supplied by the airlines are the soft drinks and the seat-pocket magazines featuring “Tom Cruise’s Los Angeles.”
As the quality of the coach experience continues to deteriorate, flight attendants, travel agents and creative thinkers among the flying public are developing ways that can help make your next flight more relaxing and comfortable than you might have thought possible.
At www.seatguru.com, started in 2001 by frequent flier Matthew Daimler, you can look up seat information for 25 airlines. The site provides row-configuration charts for different types of planes; detailed measurements that will let you know exactly how much legroom to expect in your assigned seat; and commentary on the positives and negatives of bulkhead seats, exit-row seats and other seats with unusual characteristics.
Flight 001, a small chain of retail shops, has plenty of flight-worthy products for sale on its Web site, www.flight001.com. Choose from a wide selection of pillows, carry-on bags, travel books and small electronics.
Germaphobes might want to try the “No Cooties Kit” ($25), which lets you concoct a spray of lavender spike, ravensara and thyme linalol oils. According to the product description, these ingredients contain “antibacterial properties effective against the transmission of airborne microorganisms.”
Speaking of ingredients, you probably have heard about the big changes that the major airlines have made to their food offerings.
Some travelers have decried the end of free meal service in coach, considering it a sign of just how much the airlines are willing to skimp after racking up billions of dollars in losses in recent years. Get over it. You hated those meals anyway, and now you’ll get to pick exactly what you like to eat if you leave time to stop at a grocery store or sandwich shop on your way to the airport.
“Bring your own beverage and cup – something you know they won’t have on the plane, like Snapple,” suggests flight attendant Marsha Marks, author of the new book “Flying by the Seat of My Pants: Flight Attendant Adventures on a Wing and a Prayer” (WaterBrook Press, $9.99).
“The entire cabin will be jealous of you as you twist off your lid and pour your drink into your plastic cup with sparkly things on it,” Marks says. “The flight attendants will be happy to give you extra ice.”
On many flights, you can buy food from the airline. Just make sure you have cash, because most carriers do not yet accept credit cards for food purchases.
Another air-travel necessity is comfortable clothing. Breathable fabrics such as cotton are a wise choice, especially in case you get delayed on the runway and the pilot powers down the air conditioner for awhile. But do not take your fashion cues from pajama-bottoms aficionado Michael Jackson. Wearing something with at least a bit of structure will help you feel like less of a ragamuffin at the end of a long flight.
Also, forget the flip-flops and the loafers-with-no-socks look. You’ll be glad you did when you are forced to remove your shoes at airport security, losing an important protective barrier between your precious tootsies and a cold linoleum floor that appears to be crying out for a thorough cleaning.
If you must go sockless, at least pack a spare pair in your carry-on luggage so that you can keep your feet warm – and your fellow passengers content – in the event that you decide to remove your shoes during the flight.
And remember not to take out your travel frustrations on your flight attendants. These are the folks with the power to bring you blankets from the first-class cabin (usually bigger than the blankets available in coach). They also might even heat up your carry-on food for you in the galley convection oven, says Irune Serpe, an American Airlines flight attendant based at Dallas/Fort Worth.
One thing they can’t do, however, is bump you up to first class.
“People ask us that all the time, but we just don’t have the authority to do that,” Serpe says. “But you can ask for any other available seat in coach.”