I flew from Washington National airport to Dallas – Fort Worth in a coach middle seat, 12B, on Thursday and it was fine? The truth is that the coach product on major airlines is not that bad. I was able to get about two and a half hours of work done on my laptop. The wifi worked.
Growing up I used to fly coach all the time. I never imagined I’d fly anything else. I never heard of an upgrade, and couldn’t imagine either being in a position to pay for anything else – or being willing to spend so much money just for comfort during the flight. “You’re both getting there at the same time!” I flew cross-country and across oceans often.
Taking an American Airlines DC-10 to Sydney via Honolulu wasn’t bad at all when the plane was empty and I could snag a middle row of coach to myself. It wasn’t great flying a completely packed plane. I still remember watching John Goodman star as King Ralph on loop and being unable to escape it all the way to Honolulu.
Thirty years ago I learned about upgrades. I started doing everything I could to avoid coach. When I was just a premier (now ‘silver’) on United, I would go out of my way to pick larger aircraft with more premium seats, and even pick my travel dates and times, to maximize chances of an upgrade. I’d fly a Boeing 777 at noon on Wednesday via Denver if I had to, instead of a non-stop to the West Coast, but fortunately back then United flew Boeing 747s on domestic routes that were can’t miss for the upgrade.
Upgrades don’t exist much today. Airlines have gone from selling just about 10% of their first class seats on domestic flights, to monetizing (in Delta’s case) about 88% of them.
That includes the seats they upsell to once a year flyers for $26 because recently-retired Glen Hauenstein hated more than anything the idea of fulfilling a complimentary upgade for a Diamond member spending $30,000 or $40,000 a year with Delta on tickets.
At the same time, is is a lot cheaper to buy up to first class than it used to be. It was once several times the cost of a coach ticket. Then airlines got more sophisticated, pricing it as a fixed amount over whatever the prevailing economy fare cost. And now they continue selling even after the ticket’s been bought – at a price designed to get something for every seat, and only offer upgrades if the algorithm fails.
So there’s a genuine disagreement – does it make any sense to spend more for domestic first class? As always the answer is ‘at what margin’: how long is the flight, and how much more does it cost?
Welp, I guess I’ll say it:
I pay for 1st class when I fly for work.
I’m tall. Coach kills me. I feel cramped and really can’t get much done.
Instead, I can get in 2-3 hours of good work up front.
It’s productive with no distractions.
Worth the $200-300 extra for me. https://t.co/3g6clA24VX
— Robbie Hendricks (@robbiehendricks) May 23, 2026
I no longer mind coach on a 3 hour flight. I’m very happy in an exit row middle. My biggest beef is how hard some coach seats are, with how little padding (Southwest, United). Airlines tried to mask how much legroom they were taking away – squeezing seats closer together – by also taking away seat padding. That way they ‘got back’ half an inch of space, at the cost to your bum and back. I need a decently-padded seat. That’s not great for my back.
I want the extra legroom seat so that the person in front of me doesn’t recline into my laptop, but I use a small enough laptop that I can manage even without that. On Thursday I had to yank the laptop off my tray table just in time as the passenger in row 11 reclined hard.
I prefer first class for more tray table space, and more places to put a drink or a snack while having my laptop open. But mostly I just tune out the world around me, plug in and work. As long as I have functional wifi I’m good.
That doesn’t work long haul, where I’m too tired to work and where I need to sleep. And it doesn’t work because the seat just gets too uncomfortable and there’s less space to adjust.
And I’ll be honest, the biggest part of this change has been personal: my weight. I was wider before the pandemic, and so it was far more uncomfortable being in coach. That’s about seat width, not about legroom. It’s not the meals or the drinks up front that mattered. It was just being sandwiched next to other passengers, and frankly other passengers being sandwiched next to me.
When travel was limited in 2020 I lost my first 20 pounds, just by not being on the road and not eating poorly and not getting enough exercise. Sure, I’d walk long terminals! But I didn’t make it to the hotel gym as often as I should have. But stuck at home during Covid, I ate better and I exercised more. And from there my weight loss kept going.
Gary in 2018
I absolutely still want to fly in premium cabins! I love international first class. I don’t want to do long haul in less than business. But it bothers me a lot less that I may wind up stuck in back on more domestic flights than this used to happen.
I’ve tried premium coach. It is acceptable but not ideal for me. Perhaps because I’m 6’3 240 lbs and it is pretty cramped. And I’m very broad shouldered so it intrudes into my seat mate’s space. Nowadays I either travel in F or I don’t make the trip. On domestic I ask my clients to pay for premium coach and I pay the rest. All long haul is business class, not negotiable.
How were your seatmates? I make liberal use of United’s 24-hour-change policy (the prime thing that keeps me loyal to United), but as a result sometimes end up in middle seats (at least always E+, and usually exit row E+) but still find it difficult to get any work done with someone in my elbow space… not as bad in an aisle seat, but challenging in a middle or even window, especially if I’m seating next to anyone of moderate or greater size.
Maybe I need to carry a laptop that isn’t 17 inches just for plane work.
That said, if the middle seat is empty, 21CD (exit row aisle with recline, and 2-C/D (no recline) in a pinch) are VASTLY superior to an F seat. That gives me a full tray table that is much more adjustable, much more legroom, and I can use half of the tray table next to me as well (or more, depending what the window seat is up to.) So I almost never upgrade out of 21C/D, but I’ll usually pay $200 to get out of an E+ middle/window. (I need the spend for my PQM anyway so even that is just helping save a mileage run at the end of the year.)
Or… just Same-Day change to an early or late flight and catch some Z’s, which I’ve gotten better at even in E+ middle.
Agree. Since AA first class service is so poor there is little difference (other than free cocktails).
The status ‘upgrade’ today is complimentary extra legroom economy. It’s what makes a plane like AA’s new XLR inexcusable – not enough MCE and literally cannot sit in extra legroom seats when flying with the family because the 12 of them are all exit row. So if you are a status member, you’re often getting absolutely nothing ‘upgraded’ when flying their newest transcon plane. Someone make that make sense.
WFBF. On a flight under 3 hours, economy is not that big of a deal. For $26 on a 2-3 hour flight, sure, take my money. For $126, let alone $126 times 2 or 4? Almost always going to pass, especially if no meal service. If it’s a flight blocked from 5-10pm though, end of the day, a warm meal and a drink is valued… much more inclined.
Being towards the front of the plane though when trying to make a connection, that matters.
What is an exit row middle seat?
For domestic flights, F is optional, depending on cost and availability. But for international flights, it has been a must for me since I was in my mid-40s. Not just because I have a bad back, but because I experienced such bad behavior by my fellow economy travelers – the belligerent drunk, the anti-seat recliners, and the person who had not bathed in a week, among others. A bad travel experience can wreck your trip. But I’ve never had a bad experience in business class.
@Joe T – on AA you get free cocktails in Main Cabin Extra. Now they don’t come around often and I would never call an FA for a drink in coach. That being said if I ask for a gin and tonic I usually get a can of tonic, 2 bottles of gin and a cup of ice. While I definitely prefer first aisle main cabin extra (or Delta Comfort) is just fine for a 3-4 hour flight.
Clickbait that I fell for. Doesn’t compare to the walk on walk off experience in FC. Even on short trips.
@Peter — MCE FTW!! (I got that AA 789 flight coming up; which seats do I need to measure?)
Gary posts his fair share of clickbait, to be sure, not sure I would classify his honest musings on the importance of upgrading your seat as such.
Generally agree with you, Gary. If you’re a frequent flyer, like many who follow this blog, you’re presumably sitting in an extra legroom coach seat at worst, with the possible exception of last minute bookings/changes and IRROPS. While I’ll never turn down the upgrade to F (whether it’s free based on status or offered for a de minimis charge), I can’t say it tremendously impacts my well-being on anything under, say, a 5-hour daytime flight. Biggest risk in economy is being seated next to a “passenger of size,” which admittedly can make the trip a wee bit uncomfortable.
Well Gary, all those years ago, you created a monster! You are the one who taught me the points game. 125,000 miles RT in Biusiness to Europe. If a layover, just meant a nice time in the lounge with a shower, shave and underwear change. Points were easy to obtain when I earned my own business. Those days are gone – as are usually. the predictable 125,000 RT BC to Europe!
So now? If I can get BC on a long intercontinental trip on points, great. Otherwise, I have to pay for it as you spoiled me. Two homes – Florida and NJ. I figure it cost me an extra $2-3000/year to be up front. My kids understand! We have taken adjoining aisle coach seats which were fine for 3 hours, but I’m willing to pay for the pleasure. Thanks for all your help!
For domestic flights I am fine with an exit row aisle seat preferably. Long haul overseas and ultra long haul , I am always in business or first usually using miles or upgrades . I don’t like middle seats and surprised Gary does.
@dave a middle seat in an exit row. Exit rows often three seats across . Gary is picking the middle seat of the 3 .
Domestic first isn’t much better than economy plus and usually costs significantly more. I always do economy plus except very short flights (<2 hours or so). The only time I fly first is home from Hawaii since the oversea route is 6 hours and always a red-eye.
I'm even starting to wonder if I need lie flat seats home from Europe. To Europe, yes, I need to sleep. But home is during the day and premium economy might be enough. The next time I can't find a saver flight home in J I'm going to try that.
I am simultaneously convinced my international J flights aren’t worth the extra dollars, and I will continue to pay for it for the rest of my life. Even if I had heirs I wanted to leave money in my will, I’d still spend the extra. I’d have no problem flying coach on a domestic r/t to get a nonstop over a connection. But, unless mileage value gets really worse, I have enough and earn enough such that I’ll be able to take my one domestic r/t in F on miles for the rest of my expected travel lifespan.
But, I had 19 TPAC r/ts in Y prior to COVID. I don’t think I’ve aged so much I couldn’t still do it.
@1990 – the debate on the XLR is whether legroom is 31 or 32”. AA says 32 on page two of a news release but has not actually updated its planes page with the XLR. I suspect it is 31-32 at best.
On the 789P not sure much to measure but the front 9 MCE seats are appreciably better than the rear 9 MCE seats.
@ this comes to mind…”if you don’t fly first class, your children (heirs) will”
@ Gary Get an extra half inch per row with today’s seats? Hey, think about your early trips on DC-10s, L-1011’s and of course the AA B747 with the piano bar. The Coach Cabin was 34-35″ pitch and the seatbacks were probably 4-6″ thick. The bean counters have taken a lot more than a couple inches of comfort away.
Gary, you’ve made a great progress! Don’t be shy, post more recent pictures, be the inspiration we all need! I aspire to be like you! Thank you!
As a pretty firm rule, I never buy first-class tickets, but I recently violated that rule when I purchased a first-class ticket for an overnight flight from SFO to BWI thinking that the extra space would help me sleep. However, my seat would absolutely not recline, not at all, and there was nothing to be done about it. As a result, I got very little sleep. United offered not so much as an apology.. In retrospect, I would have been much better off if I had simply flown economy plus on that flight. Lesson learned.
@ Gary — You have fun with that. Just think, your wealth will be .000001% greater if you fly in coach, and you’ll die with way more money than me. Meanwhile, while still breathing, I will be sitting up front, reducing my wealth by .001%. If you can afford it, pay for the better seat (within reason), as your coffin won’t come with any extra leg room or a place to work.
If flying meant being in a middle seat I’d would not be flying. The number of times I see a 250 pound plus passenger heading towards the back and think whoever is going to be sandwiched next to that person for next three hours plus, god help them.
@Gene – I have two kids though – do you even know what berries cost in this economy??
@Gary – what’s more amazing to me is the mark-up on berries. The “nicer” supermarkets seem to charge 2-3x what a non-fancy supermarket might charge. And they’re quite often the same berries! (to that point, RIP Spirit Big Front Seat?).
I suppose it’s an interesting question what one might spend on domestic first upgrades a year for a family of 4. Let’s say that family takes 5 domestic first trips a year and the difference between economy and first is $500/pp (yes it could be dramatically less, but not always). So that’s $2.5k/pp or $10k total. I suppose if you have a net worth of $10mm (as @Gene’s 0.001% comment might imply – congrats Gene!), go for it.
But to go back to “the price of milk” – I suspect that most of this readership “likes to get a deal” and likes to think about what value might be assigned to particular things. And even if you have the $10k to spend – is it really “worth” spending that money on 2-3 hour domestic flights? Or would I personally “value” spending that money on something else on the trip – maybe a nicer hotel or better seats at the ballpark or what have you.
That said, it is not bad advice to enjoy life while you are living, especially if you have the means to do so. The WSJ had it right with “open that bottle night” – you can save forever, but to what end? Well, we all know the end, although coffins may have more legroom versus some lie flat seat foot cubbies…
I flew on the AA 787-9 from LHR-PHL in Y. The lack of entertainment equipment boxes at your feet make a bid difference.
@ Gary — Seriously?
@ Gary — But I just read a study that says HEB has the lowest grocery prices outside Costco, and you ilve in Texas!
“The Coach Cabin was 34-35″ pitch and the seatbacks were probably 4-6″ thick.” Take that old pitch and seat. Keep everything the same, but make the seat 3″ thinner. What happens? You’ve gained 3″ of legroom, but the pitch is still 34-35″. OK, move row 2, 3″forward, row 3, 6″, etc. Simply the pitch is now 31-32″. And, you just lost the 3″ of legroom you gained. So, thinner seat, lesser pitch, same legroom.
Fat seats are nice. But, fat seats give you less legroom at any given pitch (imagine Lay-Z-Boy at 31″ pitch—zero legroom).
I one sat the middle seat in coach from Toronto to Hong Kong. Never again. Not worth saving a few dollars to be tortured. I’ll skip the flight or pay a lot more if I can get a good seat.
Baggage handling, early boarding, pre departure bubbles, elbow room, (mostly) quiet cabin mates, and deplaning quickly are more important than almost anything, and knowing in advance it’s all squared away is what I pay for when I pay for it.
I almost always fly coach in a window seat. On my last trip from LAX to BUF and return, I tested out two inflatable cushions that I got on Amazon, for comfort. The thicker one was comfortable but it had a tendency to roll forward. The thinner one, which was much smaller when folded up, actually did the job right because it was a series of inflated ridges. The thinness was not a problem and it actually worked better with slightly less than maximum inflation. It did not roll forward. I will be taking them on my flight from LAX to KTI next week. The one that rolls can still work well as a lumbar pad when underinflated. Unfortunately I will be on an A350 across the Pacific instead of upstairs on an A380. Fortunately Asiana is better than a lot of airlines as far as coach pitch and width.
@S L Mac. 100% all of that is worth the extra money. Not playing travel day lottery with seat mates. And knowing it ahead of time really is the difference maker. All I fly is domestic not sure if I’ll ever get to go on an international flight but I’m on a LOT of short hop domestic being that BFW is my home airport I fly that 1 hour trip to PHX constantly and even for that FC is just easier before getting on to everywhere else.
@peter, $10,000 is 0.001% of $100 million. @gene is a whale.
First class gives you a better change of surviving intact if sitting next to large or morbidly obese people. No middle seats.
I’ve had weeks-long back issues from twisting for hours to avoid people spilling their seat.