Airline Perks That Almost Make Flying Coach Tolerable

Flying coach is rarely among the highlights of any flight. Between cramped seats, less-than-stellar food (if there is any), and the dreaded middle seat, flying coach can be stressful. But some airlines make an attempt to improve the experience for passengers, offering perks that help make a coach-class seat somewhat more tolerable. With insight from travel bloggers and travel industry experts, here's a look at the airlines and the perks to keep in mind when booking your next flight.

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Members of Delta Air Line's frequent flyer program can soon access free Wi-Fi on their flights. The freebie will be available on most domestic U.S. flights, excluding some shorter regional routes, starting Feb. 1. But you'll have to wait until 2024 for the perk to hit international flights. Once connected, you'll have access to the Paramount+ streaming service for all your pass-the-time TV and movie needs. If you're not a member you can join the Delta SkyMiles program for free.

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At this point, you're probably used to stale-tasting coffee, dry biscuit cookies, and average alcohol when you're in the air. But Delta is one-upping its snack selection. The airline is offering ice cream sundaes on long-haul international flights. And that's not all that's new. Delta is also serving canned sparkling wine from women-led Une Femme Wines, which feels a little more elevated than your usual plane alcohol. Finally, those flying coast-to-coast can treat themselves to a new cold-brew coffee option.

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Though Frontier operates as a low-cost airline and sells bare-bones flights, it does have options called the Perks and the Works. The Perks bundle, available for a fee, gets you a carry-on bag, a checked bag, and the option to select a seat. It requires the purchase of a round-trip ticket. The Works bundle adds priority boarding, flight flexibility, and refunds, should your travel plans change.

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If you can't afford to spring for business class, there is another alternative to make your flight more pleasant on American Airlines: Main Cabin Extra (starting at $20). "With Main Cabin Extra, you'll get preferred boarding, extra legroom, and they even give you complimentary alcohol," says Daniel Gillaspia, a travel expert and founder of the travel blog UponArriving.com. Preferred boarding not only means you avoid spending more time waiting in line, it also prevents you from having to worry about losing overhead storage bin space (especially when you're traveling with packages or gifts). "The extra legroom with Main Cabin Extra is also underrated," Gillaspia said. "I was recently seated in Main Cabin Extra and found the extra legroom to be much more noticeable than I originally thought."

JetBlue offers several perks that help make flying in economy tolerable, says Becca Siegel, co-creator of the site HalfHalfTravel.com. The perks include unlimited snacks and drinks and complimentary Wi-Fi. "And the Wi-Fi actually works," she says. "During a JetBlue flight recently from Seattle to New York, the Wi-Fi was so good, considering it was in-flight and free, that I was able to get work done." Some JetBlue flights also offer self-serve snacks located in the main cabin, allowing passengers to get up during the flight and grab a canned beverage, or a selection of pretzels, chips, or other goodies, adds Siegel. "This makes us always look forward to flying in coach on JetBlue. We don't mind it at all," she says.

If paying to check bags is among your pet peeves, perhaps this perk is for you. When flying Southwest, you can check not just one, but two bags for free. "This perk alone makes Southwest stand out," says Jeff Klee of CheapAir.com. A bonus: Southwest offers some of the lowest economy fares in the U.S., he says.

Hawaiian Airlines offers complimentary drinks, meals, and snacks on domestic and international flights including beer, wine and spirits, Klee of CheapAir.com says. Further, the meals served by the airline are island-inspired creations, rather than run of the mill dry chicken. Snacks are free on the airline's North America, South Pacific, and Asia routes.

Valerie Stimac, a travel blogger who created the site Valerie & Valise, was recently pleasantly surprised to discover that when flying Alaska Airlines, you can pre-order inflight food. The food can be ordered via the airline's app — a great idea when you know what you want to eat and don't want any surprises on availability.

Spirit plans to offer bigger, more comfortable seats. The new seats are to be installed on many of its planes by early 2023. When flying Spirit, you can opt for an upgrade to what it calls a Big Front Seat, says Klee of CheapAir.com. "There's no middle seat in a Big Front Seat row and a bit more space to spread out," he says. Keep in mind the seats can cost $12 to $500 extra.

While this perk applies specifically to long flights that stopover in Dubai, it is certainly a noteworthy offering. "When you're flying with Emirates and have an eight to 24-hour stopover in Dubai, you get a free hotel including a continental breakfast," says Torben Lonne, co-founder of Dive.in, an online scuba diving magazine, and professional diver whose job takes him around the world. "This is ideal when connecting flights to Asia, as it allows me to get fully rested for the second leg of the trip. You get to rest up in luxurious Dubai while flying coach, all courtesy of Emirates Airlines" There are certain restrictions that apply to this offer and you may have to go through security again, so it's worth checking out the Emirates website in advance to make sure your itinerary qualifies.

Yet another perk of flying coach with JetBlue is the ample legroom it provides passengers. The airline offers Even More Space, a feature that lets customers pay to get up to 38-inches of space in designated seats in economy. Costs vary depending on the flight.

Even in coach class passengers are provided with stylish amenity kits (a perk typically reserved for first class). The kits include various travel essentials designed to help you feel refreshed at the end of a long journey, such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye shades, socks, and ear plugs.

Six-way adjustable headrests and ergonomically designed footrest? Enough said. Economy seats also include high-definition touchscreen monitors, a power supply, and a storage space for small items — not having to fight for overhead space sounds worth it alone.