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This is easy. Go to first class or business and make someone else pay for you. With this advice, you will see that flying is quite a few chores. Business class is appropriate, but it’s rude to decline first class if you have an offer.
If you don’t have this option or if your Air Miles has become a squirrel from your company, work to get it. Or make more money so much you can afford it yourself. Unfortunately, I can’t do this. You know how it is, if I get a business class seat for myself, my wife will also expect it. Soon we were spending holiday prices.
For such issues, it is worth reversed at the cost of understanding the true value of an upgrade. Ask yourself that someone will offer you £5,000 and sit in a moderately uncomfortable chair for 10 hours. If that sounds quite like that, the economy for you. It’s helpful that I’m only 5 feet 7 inches, so I recommend keeping it shorter. This is something you may need to tackle.
There are other useful tips, such as sticking to cabin luggage or paying for extra legrooms in the economy. And avoid bassinet seats unless your parents enjoy spending time with babies who are probably worried about doping with antihistamines. Ah, it’s not happy hour at the Weatherspoon. Stick to the water.
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Also buy a security pass for high speed trucks. Sometimes it’s a waste of money, but at peak times you can save a few minutes of chitting and pfutting. Prices vary. Gatwick’s first track pass is much better worth it than the Heathrow Pass, but in reality, flights from Heathrow are the wrong economy.
But the bigger truth here is that air travel cannot be made fun. It was a miserable experience in nature, and one of the main reasons is that the airport is terrible. Even well-designed airports are tough for the simple reason that they are full of people who don’t want to be there. This is much worse than the flight itself. Even if you displease your journey, you can at least satisfy yourself that you are on the way (unless you’re flying through Emirates because you’re worth better, you’re thousands of miles, even a few hours as you’re farther away).
But the airport? It’s thriving Petri dishes, filled with people who are not in a hurry, stopping in front of those who are. Certainly, you can hide in the airport lounge, and I would recommend doing so, especially if you enjoy an old Danish person with egg sandwiches. Otherwise, buy lunches and sandwiches, roam the absurdly priced shops, figure out why there is an oyster bar, then stare helplessly at the airline app.
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If you insist on being there early, like me, then the airport experience is even worse. For me, there is no multitasking on flight days. No matter how slow your flight is, you can’t concentrate on anything else that day. The time spent waiting to get to the airport is time to worry about whether you have enough time to get through security or beat the famous traffic along the way.
Still, I waste 3 hours at the airport much more than using my time at home or at work, and worry about whether I’ll go to the terminal on time. But that’s me.
Of course, the best thing is one of those who are extremely chilled, shaking to the airport 30 minutes before departure, allowing you to run to the gate without sweating. (Obviously, I’ll ignore this if I’m flying a Wizz Air. In that case, there’s always time to take.)
And even if you arrive there is another airport where you can negotiate. There’s not much you can do about queues at the opposite customs office, except you have all the right visas. In some countries, you kindly see families with small children, but you can’t expect it, so it’s not worth hiring them on the occasion.
So, how can you make your air travel more enjoyable? Take a train or boat.
Email Robert to MagazineLetters@ft.com
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