Ready to fly?

People nowadays book their travel through ultra- cheap-discounted-airfare websites. But what do we get in exchange of a bargain plane ticket?

The thing is we almost always end up with an overbooked airplane where it is almost impossible to breathe because the air conditioning is working extra hard to keep the entire plane cool. Then the dreaded middle seat.  Having to seat in the middle is awful since any way we move, we have to be careful not to touch our seatmates. (Now, you have a real problem if both of your seatmates are in the large side.)

And what if we have an overactive bladder? We have to excuse ourselves to go the bathroom which is, by the way, on the very end of the plane. It’s okay if our flight only takes two hours or less. But if we have to fly from Tampa to Los Angeles, then that means at least three bathroom trips.

It’s good to sit near the bathroom and on the aisle because of easy access. But if you are taking a long flight, especially an international one, sitting close to the bathroom is sitting close to the noise. People slam the door shut every now and then for the whole flight and that can ruin your plan of sleeping or relaxing on the entire trip.

The best way to travel is to fly first class. That is, if you don’t mind paying a thousand extra. Then you get to sit by the window and the aisle, with lots of legroom. You can even cross your legs even if your tray is down and you are eating your meal. And you enjoy the fact, too, that you are eating better food than the lesser mortals on the plane.

Once the airplane landed, it is good not to wait and hyperventilate while you wait for everyone ahead of you takes all his belongings from the overhead compartment. Once the plane is on the ground, they do turn off the air conditioning. If you are sitting at the very back you have to suffer about 20 minutes before you can come out of the plane. No air conditioning and about a hundred of warm bodies around you and like you wanting to get out.

And this gets us back to the plane truth: you can get an airfare bargain but you are in for a bumpy ride. Nevertheless, if you buy your ticket from a travel agent or if you buy it from the airline’s website, you may be paying more but you have choices. The extra money you put in it buys you the preference to sit anywhere on the plane, the stops you take, and the time you fly. Yes, you may not still afford to fly first class but you can definitely have a smooth ride.