Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! I’m spending the week with my parents on Oahu and wanted to share my recent trip. Personally, I can’t stand flying—especially to America—because it feels like something is always going wrong.
As I shared my change of paying 30%–50% more for Economy Plus tickets to Honolulu, Hawaii, my family and I ended up being downgraded to Economy class. Not only that, but we were placed in the last line! Ah, I must love to have a crowd of people hovering over you, sometimes running, waiting to use the toilet.
So how did we get stuck in the last row of Economy after paying for Economy Plus seats? United Airlines happened, of course!
Our Lucky Streak with United Airlines continues
On the last five United Airlines flights that my extended family and I have taken, there have been problems.
My poor parents were delayed 18 hours from Honolulu to San Francisco. My father-in-law was delayed for 7 hours, and finally stopped paying for the airport hotel. Then my mother-in-law also experienced an overnight delay from Charlottesville, Virginia. Meanwhile, our final flight 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 travel vouchers. This time, United texted us the night before our flight, letting us know they had to change flights. Fortunately, our departure time of 11:10 am was not affected. However, for some reason, we had to completely rebook all four seats!
When we checked in an hour after we received the letter, the only three seats left together were at the very back of the plane. Sigh. We wanted to stick to the time we planned to leave, so we took them. We then booked another Economy seat a few rows up, as there wasn’t one across the aisle, in the row in front, or in the row behind. We were on a plane with 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’ve used some of our stock market gains to pay for it. However, since all that was left were Economy seats, we ended up getting a refund of $190 × 4—$760 back in our pockets!
Suddenly, we felt good about saving money again. Economy has plenty of room for a 7.5-year-old and a five-year-old. Also, my wife is smaller than average, and I am of average height and size. For a parent sitting in line with two kids, being close to our kids was a lot better than playing roulette and risking sitting next to an adult spilling into your seat.
I was the strange parent outside, sitting in the window seat next to two strangers. Luckily, the person sitting next to me spilled about a centimeter into my space. Yes, it was annoying to brush occasionally while typing, watching a show, or sleeping, but it wasn’t bad for a 5.5 hour flight. Yes, I gave the woman in the middle seat an armrest.
Truth be told, my wife didn’t enjoy sitting in the back in Economy with the kids at first. But as soon as I told her that we now have $760 to spend on whatever we want during our vacation, she was happy. I also told him that I can take turns changing seats, especially if the children are unruly. Luckily they were well behaved.
Using Our Savings on Travel and Dining
The first thing we set aside $760 for was a dolphin tour at Sea Life Park with the kids. It cost $600 for the four of us, and our kids loved it last time. Hooray! A pleasant Economy Class journey bought us a pleasant afternoon.
The second thing we planned was to buy $160 worth of fresh poke from Fresh Catch and Tamura’s Market in Kaimuki. Hawaii’s poké blows the other region’s poké out of the water! It’s my go-to food every time I go back to the islands. We also decided to eat at Da Ono’s Hawaiian Foods because I love it lau lau and salt water meat soup.
Alternatively, we’ve considered using the savings from flying Economy class to buy Apple’s new iPhones. Our current iPhones are about five years old, and buying them in Hawaii will save us 4% in sales tax—about $48 on a $1,200 purchase. And, as a long-time Apple shareholder, it feels good 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 approach recreates the magic of home ownership, where you get to live for free if your home is grateful. But I tend to wait five years before upgrading any Apple products.
Related: Follow the 10X Investing Rule to Fix Bad Spending Habits
Saving Money Is Such A Glorious Feeling
After this experience, I may have to downgrade all our family travel to Economy Class from now on. Our first family trip in Economy Plus was great, but this second Economy trip was even better. I prefer to save money, especially since at least three family members are guaranteed to sit next to people they know who fit between their seats.
Part of the downside of flying to America is the risk of sitting next to someone taking your seat. Seat sizes stay the same—or get smaller—while the Americans get bigger. But even if I’m squeezed like a sailor, it’s not so bad if the flight is less than six hours. I can always stand up and stretch my legs to get relief.
From now on, I will calculate the cost difference between flying Economy Plus or First Class and flying Economy, and list the things we will buy with the money saved by choosing the cheaper option.
But just making a shopping list isn’t enough—we’ll actually spend the money! That way, every trip feels like a saving grace.
Final Point: Hooray for Not Being Tall!
Finally, if you are small and short, feel blessed! When traveling, sitting in Economy class can be similar to how a larger person feels sitting in First Class. This fact becomes obvious when traveling with small children. If paying for First Class seems like a waste of money to adults, it really is a waste to children!
Just as it’s probably best to hold off on giving your kids phones for as long as possible to protect their mental health, it’s also a good idea to hold off on a first-class flight experience that only the rich can comfortably afford.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was to fly Economy again, despite having paid for Economy Plus tickets. Usually, it is easy to be disappointed when expectations are not met, but not this time. This time, I realized that we are an Economy Class family and I am enjoying it!
Here’s how to save money on travel and use those savings to spend on an even better vacation.
Related: Vacation Spending Guide to Enjoy Your Time Off Responsibly
Studentsdo any of you who can’t afford Economy Plus or First Class actually enjoy Flying Economy and saving money? How much do you think you need to justify spending on booster seats for your kids? Isn’t sitting in Economy Class and watching a movie one of the easiest ways to save—or make—money?
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