Genius Hacks That Make Flying Economy A Lot More Comfortable

Everyone dreams about indulging themselves with first-class seats on a plane, but the reality is that flying economy will always be the cheapest way to get from Point A to Point B. According to USA Today, the price of a business-class plane ticket is between two and ten times more expensive than settling for an economy seat. For the vast majority of travelers, economy is the only way to go, but it has a nasty reputation for being painfully uncomfortable.  

Between the limited legroom, stiff seats, and hundreds of nearby passengers making sounds, spending hours in an economy cabin can drive anyone to the edge of craziness. Thankfully, there are a few simple, brilliant hacks you may have never considered before that can ensure that you have the most comfortable economy flight ever. Stay tuned to learn more about how you can make your next economy flight feel a little more luxurious.

A comfortable economy flight starts with doing research before you even book the trip. The reality is that not all airlines are created equal; they all provide varying amenities and levels of comfort. Your economy experience on Spirit Airlines will look completely different than flying with JetBlue or Emirates.

Take Spirit Airlines, for instance. Its cheapest economy seats only offer food and drinks at a fee and have no Wi-Fi and reclining seats. Additionally, only a small backpack or bag is included with the price of your ticket, and bringing a standard carry-on onto the economy cabin requires extra purchase. 

On the other hand, Emirates offers its economy passengers more perks and comfort. Regional cuisine to fit the theme of your trip, personal screens on each seat equipped with 6,500 channels to choose from, free drinks, and massive seats.  Emirates Economy Class even gives its passengers a generous amenity bag stuffed with toothpaste, a toothbrush, socks, a bookmark, and a sleeping mask. That's why you should do a bit of digging into your airline's economy offerings to know exactly what you're signing up for.

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to their ideal seat on a plane. According to one survey conducted by Upgrade Points, 66% of travelers rush to get a window seat, while a little over 31% prefer sitting in the aisle seat. Unsurprisingly, a very low 1.7% of respondents actually enjoy sitting in the middle. Your preference will change depending on what you value most. Do you want an airplane seat with extra space, the ability to sleep more comfortably, or easy access to the bathroom?

If you're taking an overnight flight and are determined to catch some zzz's during your journey, you'll want to pick a window seat because it provides a comfortable place to sleep — you can even set up a travel pillow or head strap that attaches to the headrest for support. Alternatively, passengers who are very tall or might be visiting the bathroom frequently during the flight will likely be more comfortable in an aisle seat. The aisle seat is also the easiest one to stretch from, but more on that later.

Most economy cabins carry a few hundred people on average, and your seat is the one tiny portion of that whole airplane that is completely your own. Half the battle of an economy flight is figuring out how to make yourself cozy in such a compact space for an extended period. Packing just a few key items for your flight can make this abundantly easier. 

For example, a sleeping mask, travel pillow, and light blanket can do wonders to help you turn your seat into your own little nook. While there are a lot of travel pillow options on the market, one reviewer from The Washington Post found the TRTL Travel Pillow to be the best of them all. She loved it because it is extremely compact, doesn't attract too much attention, and provides her with enough support to actually fall asleep on a flight. 

Fatigue, confusion, and extreme disorientation are just a few of the mind-boggling symptoms associated with dehydration. Becoming dehydrated can make your economy flight go from being a drag to legitimately dangerous. Most concerning of all is that it is way easier than normal to get dehydrated in airplane conditions. According to the Cleveland Clinic, plane cabins have a very dry environment that can cause dehydration to set in much faster. 

The Aerospace Medical Association recommends that travelers drink 8 ounces of water for every single hour they're in the air to offset the dry environment and avoid dehydration. Bring along an empty reusable water bottle to make keeping up with this minimum water intake effortless. It will save you from annoying your flight attendants with a request for another tiny cup of water every 60 minutes. 

Everyone wants to look good all the time, but dressing comfortably is abundantly more important when you're on an economy flight. There are a few things to consider while picking your outfit. First of all, plane cabins run pretty cold, and temperatures can regularly get down to 71 degrees Fahrenheit, which can feel a lot colder than it sounds if you don't have anything to cover up with. So, you'll want to bring along a few layers to keep yourself toasty in that occasionally brisk environment. 

Additionally, you won't want to wear anything on a plane that's too constricting or made of irritating material at all. Even a pair of fitted jeans can feel unbearable after hours of wearing them in an economy seat. Many travelers opt for athletic-leisure attires on their flights to solve this problem. As one Reddit user explains, "With athleisure trending, it's been easier these days to look more dressed up but still be comfortable."

The easiest way to get through an economy flight comfortably is to be knocked out for the full duration. Products that help travelers fall asleep on planes are so in demand that they have become a full-blown industry. When all else fails, many people think that the best way to achieve a peaceful dream state is to take sleeping medication. While this can be a very useful last resort on long economy flights, you should be cautious about taking sleeping pills on a plane. Prescribed sleeping pills such as Ambien aren't a great option for most people on flights because it could make them too out of it to behave safely. 

Speaking to The Points Guy, Dr. Nate Favini, medical lead at Forward, recommends melatonin instead, stating, "Melatonin is a totally natural and safe supplement that is effective for sleep and jet lag." However, Dr. Favini also urges travelers to try over-the-counter products like these before getting on an economy flight. It's also wise to check the local regulations if you're traveling internationally because foreign regions have different rules about sleeping aids than the United States.

The recycled, extremely dry air that flows through an economy plane cabin can do serious damage to your skin. A plane's ecosystem basically leeches all the sweet moisture from your skin and leaves it feeling parched. That's why implementing a skincare routine is crucial when you're traveling by air. Plus, it provides the chance to pamper yourself a little in the economy section.

One Reddit user suggests heavily hydrating your skin with moisturizer before getting on a plane to protect it from the harsh conditions. Another frequent traveler on Reddit recommends using a sleeping sheet mask on your face because they're designed to stop your skin from losing moisture at night. If that all feels a bit too intense for you, a simple facial mist can feel amazing on a plane, such as the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea.

There is one thing that will always be true when you fly economy: Hundreds of people will be packed like sardines around you at all times during the journey. Between the chatter, babies crying, people moving about the cabin, and the overwhelming hum of the plane's engine, noise is inevitable in an economy seat. However, you don't have to be a prisoner to all those sounds just because they're happening around you. You can save yourself the aggravation of listening to all the noise around the economy cabin by investing in a solid pair of noise-canceling headphones. 

Since you'll likely have these headphones jammed against your ears for hours on end during your flight, make sure you choose ones that are comfortable. One expert from CNET recommends the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds as the top noise-canceling travel headphones on the market. They explained that these are their favorite because they could be comfortably worn and have incredible noise cancellation capabilities. Plus, they are small enough to take anywhere. 

One of the best ways to make the long hours of an economy flight pass by quickly is to be engrossed in a TV show, movie, or even a podcast. While some planes are equipped with TV screens, this isn't always guaranteed if you're flying in an economy seat. If you're not prepared, you could end up staring at the back of a seat with absolutely no entertainment until landing, and that will make your trip miserable. This can be even worse if you're flying with children. 

That's why every economy passenger should take an iPad or another type of tablet that is stuffed to the brim with enough downloaded content for the whole flight. The Netflix app allows users to download episodes and full-length movies to their devices and play them while they're in the air. You can do the same thing with podcasts on Spotify to listen offline.

Immersing yourself in the world of a book can completely distract you from being stuck on an economy flight. Why spend your whole flight waiting for it to end when you could be getting lost in "Game of Thrones"? The only problem is that books are chunky and heavy, which isn't very travel-conducive. 

Luckily, we live in the age of technology, and this can be solved by grabbing an e-reader to help you read your way through every economy flight. Just one long book can be a struggle to carry on a plane, but with a device like a Kindle, you can hold up to 6,000 books right in your purse. With a Kindle specifically, you can even read samples of books in the store before committing to a purchase. It's a game-changer for readers on a flight. 

You can do all the preparations in the world, but sometimes, all you need to get through an economy flight is a tasty, hand-crafted cocktail. While some airlines offer passengers cocktail menus, they are usually ridiculously expensive and subpar. Save yourself some cash and disappointment by bringing along a carry-on cocktail kit and making your own libation right from the comfort of your economy seat. 

Just to be clear, you will still have to purchase the liquor on your flight. Cocktail kits just come with the conveniently packaged mixer ingredients to make preparing the drink easy on the plane. The draw is that it can be much cheaper and better tasting than a plane-made cocktail. There are tons of affordable, delicious, and easily portable cocktail kits on Amazon. For example, The Cocktail Box Co. makes kits for an old fashioned, margarita, gin & tonic, and more. They make up to six drinks and cost less than $25 each.

Economy passengers might get a little snack during a short flight, like pretzels and a drink. Travelers are also fed a meal during longer international journeys. Unfortunately, these offerings are rarely substantial or appetizing. In fact, Gordon Ramsey refuses to even eat airplane food. 

Packing a snack box can help you ward off any cravings mid-air. These containers have multiple compartments to allow for easy storage of foot items like nuts, dried fruit, or candy while traveling. One user on Reddit described their airplane snack box for their child in a post, and it was full of cookies, dehydrated yogurt bites, corn puffs, and veggie sticks. The options are endless, and having such a variety of snacks to choose from makes an economy flight a lot more bearable. 

Even in the more lavish economy cabins, the seats are never quite as comfortable as you'd like them to be. Feeling unsettled in your seat can really negate any other measures you take to feel comfortable in economy. One Redditor swears they have the solution to this issue: "I also got a gel seat cushion which makes sitting for hours far more bearable. Folds up and fits in my backpack."

Gel seat cushions are something that most travelers would never consider bringing on a flight, but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. While there are a lot of cushion options, one of the best for economy travel is the Sojoy iGelComfort Foldable Gel Seat Cushion. It's portable and made of memory foam material to add a whole new layer of comfort to your economy flight.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 25 million people in the United States experience a fear of flying. That means there is a fairly high chance that a case of nerves could hit you during your economy flight and make you extremely uncomfortable. During moments of turbulence or general anxiety, deep breathing techniques can make you feel better without ever leaving your seat. It's a simple way to soothe any plane anxiety. 

Calm.com recommends that travelers try the 4-7-8 breathing technique to quell flying stress in a pinch. This method involves inhaling through the nose with the mouth shut for four seconds, followed by a breath hold for seven seconds. Finally, you exhale it all out of your mouth for a full eight seconds. It can be extraordinarily self-soothing, and it's not going to attract much attention from the rest of the passengers on your flight. 

Extremely anxious travelers may want to download a few meditation apps as well. Calm offers its own app with meditations and other types of sessions that users can download and listen to without any internet connection. Another popular meditation app called Headspace also allows you to download their content in advance to use when you need it, such as during an anxiety-inducing flight.

While many people want to muscle through their flight without paying for Wi-Fi, this one single amenity can make an economy flight feel much more comfortable. All of a sudden, you go from being stuck in a vessel surrounded by strangers at 40,000 feet to enjoying your own little space, watching YouTube videos, or even being productive and getting some work done. When you splurge for Wi-Fi on a flight, the experience is much more like you're just hanging out for a few hours instead of counting down every second until it ends. 

Make sure you review your airline's Wi-Fi prices because every single one is different. For example, Southwest only costs $8 per device, and SkyMiles members can use Delta's Wi-Fi completely for free. However, airlines like Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, and Allegiant Air don't have in-flight Wi-Fi on their aircraft for economy passengers at all.

The pain of taking an economy flight can last for long after the trip ends if you just stay stagnant in your seat the whole time. If you aren't moving your body for hours during your flight, you're bound to arrive at your destination stiff and aching. Economy passengers who feel refreshed and ready to take on the next leg of their trip are the ones who stretched throughout the flight. 

It's a good idea to stand up and get in the aisle to touch your toes or to loosen up your back on long flights. There are actually plenty of stretches you can do right from your seat as well. For the seated cat-cow, you plant your feet on the ground with your hands on your knees and fold your body in close to round your back. Then, you roll your spine in the opposite direction into an arch to look up at the ceiling. 

Another amazing seated stretch is the spinal twist. This stretch involves simply grasping the armrest and turning your waist to give your lower back some movement. Neck and shoulder rolls can help reduce any discomfort after falling asleep in awkward positions, too. Any combination of these stretches will do you a great service on your next economy flight.