Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! I’m spending the week with my parents in Oahu and wanted to share my latest travel adventure. Personally, I can’t stand flying—especially in America—because it feels like something always goes wrong.
Just as I shared about my transition of paying 30%–50% more for Economy Plus tickets to Honolulu, Hawaii, my family and I ended up getting downgraded to Economy Class. Not only that, but we were placed in the very last row! Ah, gotta love having a bunch of people constantly hovering over you, sometimes farting, waiting to use the restroom.
So how did we get stuck in the last row of Economy after paying for Economy Plus seats? United Airlines happened, that’s how!
Our Bad Luck Streak With United Airlines Continues
Out of the last five United Airlines flights my extended family and I have taken, there have always been issues.
My poor parents were delayed for 18 hours traveling from Honolulu to San Francisco. My father-in-law was delayed for 7 hours, eventually giving up and paying for an airport hotel. Then my mother-in-law also faced an overnight delay traveling from the East Coast. Meanwhile, our last trip to Honolulu was delayed by three hours.
Why can’t United Airlines get it together? I’m not sure. At least my parents and in-laws got some travel vouchers. This time, United sent us a text message the night before our flight, notifying us that they had to switch planes. Fortunately, our departure time of 11:10 a.m. wasn’t affected. However, for some reason, we had to completely rebook all four seats!
By the time we logged in an hour after receiving the text, the only three seats left together were at the very back of the plane. Sigh. Wanting to stick with our planned departure time, we took them. Then we booked another Economy seat several rows up, as there wasn’t one across the aisle, in the row ahead, or in the row behind. We were in a plane that had a configuration of three seats on each side.
Felt Great Flying Economy Class and Saving Money
Before the seat change, we paid $3,000 for four Economy Plus tickets from San Francisco to Honolulu during Christmas week. It’s a lot of money, but we used some of our stock market returns to cover it. However, since all that was left were Economy seats, we ended up getting $190 × 4 refunded—$760 back in our pockets!
Suddenly, we felt fantastic about saving money again. Economy is plenty of room for a 7.5-year-old and a 5-year-old. Plus, my wife is smaller than average, and I’m of average height and size. For the parent sitting in the row with two kids, being next to our little ones was far better than playing roulette and risking sitting next to an adult who spills over into your seat.
I was the odd parent out, sitting in a window seat next to two strangers. Luckily, the person sitting next to me only spilled over into my space by about a centimeter. Yes, it was annoying to be brushed occasionally while typing, watching a show, or sleeping, but it wasn’t terrible for a 5.5-hour flight. Of course, I gave the woman in the middle seat the armrest.
Truth be told, my wife initially wasn’t thrilled about sitting in the back in Economy with the kids. But as soon as I told her we now had $760 to spend on whatever we wanted during our vacation, she got excited. I also told her I’d happily take turns swapping seats, especially if the kids got unruly. Luckily, they were well-behaved.
Spending Our Saved Money on Excursions and Food
The first thing we earmarked our $760 savings for was the dolphin adventure at Sea Life Park with the kids. It cost $600 for the four of us, and our kids loved it last time. Hooray! A relatively pleasant Economy Class trip bought us a fun afternoon.
The second thing we planned was buying $160 worth of fresh poke from Fresh Catch and Tamura’s Market in Kaimuki. Hawaiian poké blows every other region’s poké out of the water! It’s my number-one food craving every time I return to the islands. We also decided to eat at Da Ono’s Hawaiian Foods because I love lau lau and salt meat watercress soup.
Alternatively, we considered using the savings from flying Economy Class to purchase new Apple iPhones. Our current iPhones are about five years old, and buying them in Hawaii would save us 4% in sales tax—about $48 on a $1,200 purchase. Plus, as a long-time Apple shareholder, it feels great to support the company by using its products.
Every time my Apple shares return at least 10X the cost of a new phone or laptop, I get the green light to buy a new product. This methodology recreates the magic of homeownership, where you get to live for free when your home is appreciating. But I usually wait five years before upgrading any Apple products.
Related: Follow The 10X Investment Consumption Rule To Fix Bad Spending Habits
Saving Money Is Such a Glorious Feeling
After this experience, I may need to downgrade all our family trips to Economy Class from now on. Our first family trip ever in Economy Plus was good, but this second trip in Economy was just as fine. I’d rather save money, especially since at least three family members are guaranteed to sit next to people they know who fit within their seats.
Part of the downside of flying in America is the risk of sitting next to someone who takes up your space. Seat sizes have stayed the same—or gotten smaller—while Americans have gotten larger. But even if I’m being squeezed like a sardine, it’s not that bad if the flight is less than six hours. I can always get up and stretch my legs to get a reprieve.
From now on, I’ll calculate the cost difference between flying Economy Plus or First Class and flying Economy, then make a list of things we’ll buy with the money saved by choosing the cheaper option.
But simply making a list of potential purchases isn’t enough—we’ll actually spend the money! That way, every trip feels like a reward for being frugal.
Last Point: Hooray for Not Being Tall!
Finally, if you’re small and short, feel blessed! When you travel, sitting in Economy Class may feel similar to how a much larger person feels sitting in First Class. This reality becomes clear when traveling with little kids. If paying for First Class seems like a waste of money for adults, it’s definitely a waste for children!
Just like it’s probably best to delay giving your kids phones for as long as possible to protect their mental health, it’s also a good idea to delay the experience of flying in a class that only the rich can comfortably afford.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it felt flying Economy again, despite having paid for Economy Plus tickets. Usually, it’s easy to get disappointed when expectations are not met, but not this time. This time, I realized we’re an Economy Class type of family and enjoy it!
Here’s to saving money on travel and using those savings to spend on an even better vacation adventure.
Related: A Vacation Spending Guide To Enjoy Your Time Off Responsibly
Readers, do any of you who can afford Economy Plus or First Class actually enjoy flying Economy and saving money? How much do you think you need to earn to justify splurging on upgraded seats for your kids? Isn’t sitting in Economy Class and watching a movie one of the easiest ways to save—or make—money?
To expedite your journey to financial freedom, join over 60,000 others and subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter. Financial Samurai is among the largest independently-owned personal finance websites, established in 2009. Everything is written based on firsthand experience.
