Last Updated on June 28, 2023
The seats on an airplane are basically the same. The spaces between the seats are the same on almost all airplanes. The only difference will lie in which class of the plane you are seated. For passengers in first class, you are sure to have enough wriggle room and legroom to yourself.
If you are in business class, there is also enough wiggle room and legroom for yourself but if you are in economy, you might not be as comfortable as the other two higher classes. So, there is a need to find ways to make your time on the plane as comfortable as possible.
Depending on how long your flight will be, it is crucial you are comfortable. You might be on a plane for 3 hours or even as long as 17 hours. Either way, it is a long time to be uncomfortable, knowing that you don’t have the luxury of standing and moving around as much as you want due to the air hostesses and flight regulations.
Also, being on an airplane is confining. You are in this metal bird and the one position which it is designed for is sitting down. This has given rise to the need to find ways to be as comfortable as possible. Here are some guides to being comfortable on flights.
Always have a good travel pillow
Most long flights we take might find us flying over 10 hours in the air. It would be almost impossible to stay awake for the complete 10 hours of the flight. In most cases, we sleep. Remember that reclining your seat can’t go more than a certain level because the spaces between the seats aren’t much.
So, more often than not you would have to sleep sitting down upright. Having a good travel pillow at this time is crucial. It would help to support your neck. There are even some travel pillows that provide support and cover for your whole head making it easier for you to sleep and drown out the noise of the plane’s engines.
Make sure your legs are elevated.
There are numerous reasons why this is advisable. Keeping your legs elevated can help reduce swelling and discomfort. Remember you will be sitting down for a long period of time. Been in that stationary position could result in cramps, foot swelling, or general stiffness in your legs.
What you can do is get the best airplane footrest. What this does is keeps your leg and feet up which would improve circulation and reduce the risk of cramps or swelling.
Free seat, free seats, free seats.
Yeah, we had to shout that out three times. When you board a plane, always be on the lookout for a row of free seats. Often times, most flights are not full and when they aren’t you have the choice of a row of seats all to yourself.
What you can do is after take-off, lower the armrest and stretch out on the seats. You can get out your travel pillow, rest it on the window and get some much-needed sleep. This way you get to sleep well and also stretch out your legs comfortably.
Arm yourself with good earplugs or headphones.
Make sure you have one of these, in perfect working condition before you board that long flight. Although most airlines have onboard headphones or earplugs, it helps to have yours on hand. You can use it to listen to music on your music player like iPod, while in flight. As long as it is a noise cancellation headphones, it would also serve as a means of drowning out the airplane engines noise.
Pick the best seat for you and choose wisely.
If you have any prevailing condition, like knee pain, then the aisle seat would be best for you. You can choose to seat either on the left or right depending on which knee gives you pains.
This way you get to stretch out your leg periodically during your flight and have some relief from the pains. Also when you know you would be in the air for a very long time, say a 17-hour flight, a window seat might be best, as you would want to get as much sleep as possible. This seat offers you the chance to rest your head against the window of the plane.
Have an extra blanket.
You could carry your own blanket or get an extra one from the hostesses. It is advisable though to take yours with you. It doesn’t have to be bulky, but something that would give you enough coverage. Even if you use the one on the flight, you can add this as an extra layer to keep yourself as warm as you like.
Pack a little bag with some needed toiletries.
This should be a little bag which can even fit into a pocket of your jacket. The things you can have in there are some body lotion, some wipes, a foldable toothbrush, a little toothpaste. As long as you are allowed to carry it on the flight, get some of these little toiletries, so you feel freshen on the flight and before you land.
Make sure you have a sleep mask on.
This is crucial. Imagine been asleep by the window seat and the blinds are pulled open. If the sun is up, it would most likely wake you up. If you have not been asleep for a while or even if you have, it is not a pleasant way to wake up.
The direct sunlight hits your eyelids. But if you have a sleep mask on, even when the lights hits, you would most likely remain asleep comfortably.
So, there you have it, folks. Make sure to try some or all of these guides to making your flight more comfortable, whether your ETA is 3hrs or 17hours, try and be as comfortable as possible.