Upgrading Seats on Long Flights Worth It?

[younginvestor2013]

Hi ER Community:

I am traveling to Asia in August from Chicago. The first leg of my flight is 13 hours followed by a connecting 7 hour flight. Same for the trip back.

I am fairly tall (6'2") and have been contemplating upgrading to a Economy Plus seat on United. The upgrade would be about $400 round trip (note: I paid only $650 round trip for my flight) and is only applicable to the 13 hour legs (not the 7 hour connecting flights).

Of course I am having an internal battle trying to decide if the cost is worth it. For those of you who don't know, Economy Plus only gives you about 5" of extra leg room + extra pitch, but per my research on SeatGuru's website, you can secure more "preferred" seats by doing your homework. This does not include all of the extras that First Class gets you (better food, more space, lay flat bed, etc).

Just curious to hear if anyone has had experience with these seats and if you think the cost is worth it?

 

[Senator]

Figure it's $700/13/2 = ~$27 an hour to sit in that seat.

If you are still working, it's definitely worth it. You do not want to recuperate from the seats before of after the vacation.

If you are already retired, maybe.

 

[Sojourner]

Hmm, $400 seems a tad steep for only moderately better seats, but I would probably pay it if a) your discretionary/travel budget can easily cover it and b) you don't sleep easily or soundly on long flights. If it were me, I would use frequent flier miles to upgrade to "economy plus" or business class for the 13-hour segment, and then I'd take some Ambien or Xanax to help me sleep.

 

[braumeister]

Definitely worth it IMHO and I do it routinely for long flights.

 

[MichaelB]

Just curious to hear if anyone has had experience with these seats and if you think the cost is worth it?

Yes and yes.

It all depends on your tolerance for pain and discomfort. For an Asia flight I would look for a bargain or lower cost business class fare and see how it compares with the economy plus, but I always go for the extra leg room.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Yes, definitely worth not risking a blood clot!

 

[audreyh1]

Hi ER Community:

I am traveling to Asia in August from Chicago. The first leg of my flight is 13 hours followed by a connecting 7 hour flight. Same for the trip back.

I am fairly tall (6'2") and have been contemplating upgrading to a Economy Plus seat on United. The upgrade would be about $400 round trip (note: I paid only $650 round trip for my flight) and is only applicable to the 13 hour legs (not the 7 hour connecting flights).

Of course I am having an internal battle trying to decide if the cost is worth it. For those of you who don't know, Economy Plus only gives you about 5" of extra leg room + extra pitch, but per my research on SeatGuru's website, you can secure more "preferred" seats by doing your homework. This does not include all of the extras that First Class gets you (better food, more space, lay flat bed, etc).

Just curious to hear if anyone has had experience with these seats and if you think the cost is worth it?

We do it due to my husband's height 6'4". In fact, we bought the annual subscription for economy plus that covers two people because it was close to what the upgrades cost on RT long flight upgrades for two.

Sometimes it's more than 5". And you don't feel like someone is right in your face when they lean their seat back.

You are also closer to the front of the plane. With our group 2 boarding (a different perk available from the Mileage Plus credit card) that means easy on, easy off and first served in economy.

 

[Fedup]

I would and I'm not very tall( understatement) and my husband is medium(6ft)

 

[big-papa]

I upgrade to premium economy on all my translatic flights. It's definitely worth it. I'd rather upgrade to business, but the pricepoint is usually way over my budget. I could use miles instead, but I'd rather use them to fly the whole family somewhere on vacation.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Yes, well worth it if you're over 6 feet/200 lbs. DW and I booked aisle and window seats in our economy-plus row and nobody wanted to pay a premium to sit in the middle seat! So we got extra legroom AND lateral space.

 

[fh2000]

I am 5'10". Those longer than 10 hour international flights are getting more and more difficult for me and DW as we age.

Your $650 cost is way deep discounted. I have purchased $1200 from LAX to Asia routinely. So, adding $400, would still a deep discount in my mind.

So, I would do it.

 

[DrRoy]

It's definitely a personal choice. As an alternative, I would suggest getting up every two hours to walk and stretch. I think that is more helpful than a larger seat and good to do even if you do have the larger seat.

 

[Slow But Steady]

Yes, well worth it if you're over 6 feet/200 lbs. DW and I booked aisle and window seats in our economy-plus row and nobody wanted to pay a premium to sit in the middle seat! So we got extra legroom AND lateral space.

Good trick!

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, well worth it if you're over 6 feet/200 lbs. DW and I booked aisle and window seats in our economy-plus row and nobody wanted to pay a premium to sit in the middle seat! So we got extra legroom AND lateral space.

That works unless the flight is full. Unfortunately the long flights are often full.

 

[younginvestor2013]

Thanks all. Your comments will make me feel less guilty now when I do pull the trigger.

SeatGuru's website shows the exit row seat as having a ton of leg room due to it being the next aisle after biz class so I will likely go with that one. It is also 20-30% more than "crappy" economy plus seats.

My friend said that business class often goes on sale? Does anyone know if that's true, and do you find out well before the flight is scheduled? I just looked at the upgrade to business class for the two segments and it would probably be close to $2-3k, which is a big difference than paying an extra $400!

 

[Janet H]

Definitely worth the upgrade imo. One of the benefits is that when you arrive you may be more able to hit the ground running. I often find that an uncomfortable flight means more post flight 'recovery' time. If your time at the destination is limited this may be especially important.

 

[marko]

I've done the US East Coast to Narita/Shanghai/Seoul/Taipei run probably 40 or 50 times. First or Business is well worth whatever the cost.

YMMV but I worked with a guy who made the run in coach. He got up after the flight and bent down to tie his shoe. He did something serious to his back and subsequent hospitalization in Tokyo did more harm than good. He never was the same and had to use crutches the rest of his life.
He had no doubt in his mind that the long flight in a coach seat was the culprit.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I am 6'3" tall and I find regular economy on long flights when the person in front of me puts their seat back, to be intolerable. I have used economy plus, and on my last flight, premium economy, to get more room. I think that economy plus is totally worth it, while premium economy is more of an indulgence.

One note of caution on the exit rows; if they have a large space in front of them, people will tend to stand there on long flights to stretch or while waiting for the bathroom. That can prevent you from getting any rest. I prefer the last row before the exit so I can put my seat back guilt free.

 

[athena53]

DH and I gave up Coach in long-hauls years ago. He's 77, 6'2", and has a creaky back. It just takes him too darn long to unwind from 8 hours in Coach. So, we fly Business Class but only once a year. My last business trip to London was in the larger seats on AA (Main Cabin ExtrAA). They had just been introduced and I got it for regular fare as a Lifetime Gold. Definitely worth a few extra bucks, but I don't think it would help DH much. Besides, he's gotten addicted to lounge access at the airport and ice cream sundaes in flight!

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks all. Your comments will make me feel less guilty now when I do pull the trigger.

SeatGuru's website shows the exit row seat as having a ton of leg room due to it being the next aisle after biz class so I will likely go with that one. It is also 20-30% more than "crappy" economy plus seats.

My friend said that business class often goes on sale? Does anyone know if that's true, and do you find out well before the flight is scheduled? I just looked at the upgrade to business class for the two segments and it would probably be close to $2-3k, which is a big difference than paying an extra $400!

The exit row seats usually come with a premium charge. And make sure you get a seat that reclines.

 

[audreyh1]

I am 6'3" tall and I find regular economy on long flights when the person in front of me puts their seat back, to be intolerable. I have used economy plus, and on my last flight, premium economy, to get more room. I think that economy plus is totally worth it, while premium economy is more of an indulgence.

One note of caution on the exit rows; if they have a large space in front of them, people will tend to stand there on long flights to stretch or while waiting for the bathroom. That can prevent you from getting any rest. I prefer the last row before the exit so I can put my seat back guilt free.

On all the planes I have been on recently, the seats in front of any exit row do not recline.

 

[6miths]

Yes, definitely worth not risking a blood clot!

You have a slight increase risk of blood clot every time you fly a significant distance and there is no good evidence that 'economy' v 'economy plus' is going to make a difference. Stay hydrated and get up and walk around the cabin frequently are likely your best bets.

I have never felt the need for the upgrade but I love air travel. Always happy to have someone else pay for me to ride up front or get a free or low points upgrade but personally hard to lay down cash. Who knows as I age maybe I will see enough value. Much good advice on the cost-benefit.

 

[Rustic23]

I'm 6'2" also, and I swore I would never fly on a flight over 2 hours if I could not fly economy plus! Now $400 is steep, as I would have to pay for DW, but if I had a 13 hour flight, it would be Economy Plus!

On the other hand, it's not going to make much difference, you are still going to get home very tired. I would rather pay the extra and not get home saying "I'll never do that again"

 

[Texas Proud]

The last time DW and the kids flew to Europe (I did not go) the cost was not that much.. so we booked the better seats...

I would want to know how much 'better' the other seats are... IOW, for an inch I do not think I would pony up... for 5 inches I probably would... if it were only one person... for me it is usually 4X or $1600 decision...

 

[Bestwifeever]

I think this is an interesting approach to upgrade: We're flying economy on SAS to Europe next month, pretty inexpensively--half the US carriers' tickets. We can bid whatever amount we want for business class upgrades on any leg of the flight--you can change or withdraw but once it's accepted, two days or so before the flight, that's it (and SAS makes some $$ on those seats vs letting people upgrade with points or miles). We put in what the website called a "good" bid in terms of it being accepted on the way over and a "fair" bid for the return. If both are accepted our total will be about the US carriers' price for economy. Fingers crossed.