Earlier in the week I wrote a post related to the value of upgrading to Economy Plus. (Check out the original post here.)
Kim and I have never flown in E+ and don’t really think it is worth the extra expense. With Lucas now needing his own seat, we also gain space (when sitting 3 across) from his seat.
After my original post, I had a variety of answers in the comments. I also had an interesting response om Twitter from the youngest American to visit every country in the world.
Lee Abbamonte responded:
I responded:
From Lee:
So if I was 6’3 I’d probably agree that E+ can be worth it. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable it would be to squeeze into an economy seat if I was any taller than I am. And, for free it is definitely worth it!
I’d love to hear what everyone else things about paying to upgrade to Economy Plus.
Let your voice be heard in the poll below! If you want to add anything about E+, please feel free to do so in the comments too.
Is it worth upgrading to Economy Plus?
- It depends on the how long the flight is. (50%, 43 Votes)
- Yes, It's worth every penny to gain some space. (19%, 16 Votes)
- It depends on the price. (14%, 12 Votes)
- No, I don't want to pay any more fees. (10%, 9 Votes)
- It's only worth it if you are very tall! (7%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 86
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Chase- I agree with you. Flying United on international flights the space is not so bad unless the person in front of you reclines their seat.
David- Interesting way to look at it!
Jim M- I’m with ya! If you are tall it can be well worth it!
Edward R- Good rational- upgrade when you find value- depending on the airline.
Holiday Baker Man- At 6’5, I don’t see how you could fit into economy seats comfortably.
Denise L- For now we also have a lot of extra space due to Lucas’ seat. Even when he is older I too would rather use the extra $$ to spend on the trip itself, not our seats.
ffi- Thanks for the info and great points that you made!
Steve- If you fly enough plus use your Amex incidental credit towards it, I could see the value in a E+ pass. (especially at 6/3)
I haven’t looked into it but would love to know what an annual pass costs.
I used to get it as UA gold. I’m now Turkish gold due to the status match and the fact that I only fly 30-40K per year now.
I bought unlimited UA E+ for a flat fee. Covers all domestic flights (most of them) and Amex paid $200 of it. Bit of a pain as I have to book in using my UA number, then pick seats, then change FF number to TK.
By the way, I’m 6’3″. When seated in regular coach, my knees touch the seat in front of me. If that pax reclines his seat, I’m crushed in.
Below 6′ it is not worth it especially on UA
NZ – yes! It is a whole new better product.
BA – yes to get upgraded to business with miles (you can only go economy to Premium economy, so the real value is from there to Business with miles alone without copay)
and so on
Obviously a 12 hr flight is very tempting, but I would rather plan ahead and go business award for long hauls at that price ( round trip – 450$ extra total )
With a small child you really get free economy plus anyway as you can move your bags to the middle and get more space for your legs by angling yourself a bit sideways in the seat.
I would not spend more money if my daughter were still little. I remember feeling like we had an completely empty seat between us because she took us so little room. Now that she is older, I still think I would save my money to spend at my destination.
I’m 6’5″ and combined with the new slim line seats my knees have 2mm of space in regular seats. I so buy the extra space in economy when it’s available.
Depends on the airline. On United it is a resounding no. Other airlines give you wider seats and better meals.
This is one of them that height makes a differece. I’m also 5’10” and really don’t have a problem. My wife is 5’3″ and alot of times uses the carry to rest her feet on. If I was 6′ or more or had unusually long legs then yes it’s important. So vertical challenged not a problem, higher vertical yes a problem. lol
E-comf basically YES. sure, we all want an F upgrade. but don’t fret, the food is soso, drinks are free, but would you drink that cheap wine at home? ecomf gets you a little room, a little civility, w/o the pretense. and if you’re a premium flyer, you get it for free. of course, it is the future up “non-upgrades.”
It really is a value proposition based an individual’s height. The problem is UAs pricing strategy is mostly a terrible value. The product is nothing more than extra legroom, and it’s difficult to swallow a $215 charge each way on a IAD-DXB trip, for example. Even domestically it’s absurd. I’m not going to pay $25/hour for more legroom on a transcon (my LAX-IAD flight a couple weeks ago). For reference I’m 5’10 and don’t find the E- seats to be all that cramped, my knees don’t touch the seat in front.