I love to travel and usually prefer to spend less on flights so that I can stretch my budget and take as many trips as possible.
That usually means looking longingly at more comfortable seats in the front of the plane while I make do with standard economy in the back.
However, my family and I recently tried United’s Premium Plus, an offering between economy and business class, on a long flight.
Although I’m still not planning on regularly splurging on upgrades, I now understand why some passengers spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for comfier seats.
I found a deal on premium seats that felt too good to pass up
When planning my family’s July trip to South Korea, I was pleasantly surprised to find some great flight prices.
I could get my family from Washington, DC, to San Francisco and then onward to Seoul for only 55,000 miles, or about $550 a person. I’d expected to pay at least twice as much.
Even better, I found a mixed fare that would allow us to fly in United’s Premium Plus for the longer leg of our trip from San Fransico to Seoul for only 10,000 additional points each, which is roughly equivalent to $100.
This felt like a steal considering upgrading from economy to premium for some of these flights cost over $500.
Typically, I’d save my points and go for the cheapest ticket. However, our flight from San Francisco to Seoul was nearly 13 hours.
After factoring in the flight from DC to San Francisco, a layover, and time spent getting to and from the airport, I realized that we would’ve been traveling for close to 24 hours by the time we arrived at our hotel in Seoul.
Given the great deal I’d found, I decided to splurge on the upgraded seats to increase the chances that my family could get quality rest on the plane.
I hoped this would help us adjust to the significant time difference — 14 hours between DC and Seoul — and recover from a grueling travel day more easily.
Most of my ticket’s perks weren’t useful to me, but Premium Plus still felt so luxurious
The main draw of premium was the bigger, comfier seats, but my upgraded ticket also came with other perks.
I gained access to priority boarding, but this didn’t provide additional value to me because I already receive this benefit as a United credit-card holder.
In premium, we got two free checked bags each. However, we travel light and didn’t use this perk, either. One benefit I might’ve used was complimentary access to United Club lounges, but my ticket didn’t come with it.
However, as soon as I boarded my flight to Seoul, I didn’t care that my premium seats didn’t come with any other perks that I found useful.
My seat was fantastic, and that alone made the upgrade worthwhile.
A cozy blanket and pillow from Saks Fifth Avenue and a nice amenity kit were waiting for me when I sat down. My seat felt very spacious and had a deep recline — 6 inches, compared to 3 in economy — plus a footrest.
I was able to stretch my legs plenty, given that the seat pitch was 38 inches, about 7 inches bigger than economy.
Though my seat did not lie flat, which is usually a feature reserved for business and first class, I found that having ample legroom and a wider seat made a huge difference in comfort.
I also appreciated getting a larger seatback screen and higher-quality headphones than I’m used to in economy.
The meals on my flight were also very tasty and were served in ceramic dishes with metal flatware. It was also nice to have a real glass and cloth napkins instead of disposable ones.
Getting off the plane, I felt pampered and refreshed
Just as I had hoped, my children and I arrived in Seoul feeling refreshed and relaxed after our exceedingly long journey.
When I wanted to sleep, I dozed off easily, with my legs outstretched and enough room on both sides to not have to worry about bothering my neighbor. My children also rested well.
I really think my family and I adjusted to our new time zone much more quickly than we would’ve if we’d flown in cramped basic-economy seats.
I still plan on being frugal when it comes to spending my hard-earned dollars and airline miles. However, now I know firsthand just how much comfortable seats can help with beating jet lag.
Upgrades are definitely worth the splurge for longer flights that cross several time zones, and I’d consider flying premium again in the future.
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